Rain, Snow Expected Today as Storm Blows In

An Alaskan storm is expected to bring light rain, heavier snow and strong winds to Southern California today before the weather clears out for the weekend.

“It’s a quick-moving storm that probably will last only three to six hours,” said Bonnie Bartling, a meteorological technician with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

The rain is expected to start falling in the morning and end by the afternoon.

The weather service forecast less than a quarter of an inch of rain at the Civic Center downtown, with slightly higher amounts in foothill communities.

The snowfall should be more substantial, with 3 to 5 inches in the Tehachapi, San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains above 4,000 feet.

“But the main impact of the storm will be strong northwest winds behind the system,” the weather service said.

Gusts of 15 to 25 mph were forecast along the coast for this afternoon and tonight, with top winds near 40 mph in the mountains.

Temperatures before dawn Saturday should be on the cool side--in the 40s in the valleys and the 20s and 30s in the mountains--but the wind chill will make it feel 10 to 20 degrees colder than the thermometer readings.

Bartling said skies are expected to be generally clear on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. High temperatures in Los Angeles should be mostly in the 60s on Saturday, rising gradually into the lower 70s by Monday afternoon.

Another storm is expected to race through Southern California on Tuesday, but Bartling said it probably won’t be any stronger--or last any longer--than the one expected today.