Winter’s Last Storm Due Tonight; Spring Arrives Saturday

The last storm of the winter is expected to bring more rain and snow to Southern California this weekend--just as spring arrives.

Though the precise timing is still uncertain, forecasters think the precipitation will start this evening, increasing tonight and then tapering off Saturday afternoon.

The storm is not expected to be quite as cold as Monday’s, but the snow level still should dip to 5,000 feet or so, with fairly significant accumulations at resorts.

The region seems to be getting its wettest weather just as spring begins--officially at 10:46 p.m. Saturday.

Jeff House, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., said the storm, which was intensifying slowly over the eastern Pacific on Thursday night, was expected to move ashore near San Luis Obispo this morning, with steady rain expected in Los Angeles by tonight.

“It’ll probably arrive in time for the Friday evening commute, the worst possible timing,” he said.

House said the slow-moving storm probably would linger over Los Angeles for 24 hours or more, so the rainfall totals should be substantial--up to an inch in downtown Los Angeles and perhaps twice that much in foothill communities such as Northridge, Glendale, Altadena and Glendora.

Brad Doyle, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in San Diego, said Orange County likely will wake up to clear skies today, but can expect to see clouds gathering in the afternoon.

Rain is likely tonight and early Saturday but is not expected to exceed 0.25 inch, Doyle said.

Temperatures will be cool--in the mid-60s today, the mid-40s to low 50s tonight and in the upper 50s Saturday, Doyle said.

Two to 6 inches of snow is expected in the Tehachapi, San Gabriel, San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains.

Mostly clear weather is forecast for Sunday and Monday, but House said skies will start clouding up again later in the week, with the possibility of more rain and snow by Wednesday or Thursday.

Despite the forecast--and the rain and snow earlier this week--this has been one of the driest winters on record. Thus far, the total Los Angeles Civic Center rainfall for the season--which runs from July 1 through June 30--is 4.78 inches, compared to a normal total by this date of 12.52 inches.

Blame La Nina, the oceanographic and meteorological phenomenon that is this winter’s counterpoint to last winter’s drenching El Nino. By this time last year, 23.59 inches of rain had fallen on downtown Los Angeles.

State officials say that despite the dearth of rain this winter, there is little threat of drought. Water tables are high and reservoirs throughout the state are still brimming with runoff from last year’s El Nino-enhanced rains.