Cool, Rainy Week Forecast for Valley

Don’t put away those umbrellas yet--light showers are expected to continue in the San Fernando and Antelope valleys through the rest of the week.

Rain is in the forecast until Thursday morning for the Valley and more clouds will increase the chance of showers late Saturday, said Stacey Johnstone, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc.

“The rain has been very light and will continue to be this way. Any rain activity will be spotty for the next couple of days,” Johnstone said.

On Sunday, .02 of an inch of rain was reported in Northridge and Johnstone said no more than that is expected.

Through Friday, Valley temperatures are expected to dip into the upper 40s at night with daytime highs in the 60s.

A warm Pacific storm is responsible for the scattered rains. The low-pressure system dipped far enough south to pick up substantial subtropical moisture over the central Pacific and strengthened as it approached the California coast Friday afternoon, Johnstone said.

“There is a ton of moisture out there that’s been streaming into the area,” she added. “These weak frontal boundaries coming through in the Pacific keep enhancing that moisture.”

This winter is one of the driest on record in Southern California. Only 0.84 of an inch has fallen at the Los Angeles weather station on the USC campus since July 1, substantially less than the 6.02 inches of rainfall that falls by this date in a normal season.