Storm Piles Snow on Sierra, Dampens L.A.

The southern edge of a chilly, wind-whipped storm that brought heavy snow to the High Sierra began moving into Southern California late Monday, but forecasters said no more than 0.1 of an inch of rain is expected in the Los Angeles area before skies clear this afternoon.

Despite the calendar--which says that spring began 10 days ago--a winter storm warning was issued in the Sierra from Truckee south to Mammoth Lakes. The National Weather Service said that up to a foot of snow was expected in Northern and Central California above 7,000 feet, with winds gusting up to 70 mph through some mountain passes.

Occasional thundershowers were reported in the Sacramento area.

The weather was a lot milder in Southern California, where temperatures peaked in the upper 70s Monday morning before a parasol of clouds from the advancing storm blocked out the bright sunshine shortly after noon.

Rain began falling in the Ventura area Monday afternoon, and forecasters said that light rain in the Los Angeles Basin should have ended before dawn today. Skies are expected to start clearing by midmorning, with mostly sunny skies and high temperatures in the low 70s by this afternoon.

Mostly clear weather, with a gradual warming trend, was forecast for the rest of the week.

According to the National Weather Service, Los Angeles--which had a nearly normal rainfall total this winter--may have missed one of its last chances for substantial rain this spring. Meteorologists said significant rain rarely falls on the Southland after April 15.

But that doesn’t mean that a lot of sunny weather is likely. The weather service said April is usually one of the cloudiest months in the Los Angeles Basin, with skies staying clear along the immediate coast only about one day in three.