Rainstorms Heading for Southland

The first of two cool Pacific storms will hit Southern California this weekend, bringing rain Sunday and Monday. More rain is possible later in the week, the National Weather Service said.

There even could be a few light drizzles along the foothills this morning as the first system starts moving onshore, dragging in moisture from the ocean that could condense into precipitation as the clouds press against the coastal mountains.

Meteorologist Dave Danielson said Friday that rain should start falling in earnest by midday Sunday, with steady showers, heavy at times, through Sunday night and into Monday.

The first system should bring about 1 to 3 inches of rain in the coastal valleys, with another inch or so in the foothills, Danielson said. The snow level will start at about 6,000 feet Sunday afternoon and drop to 4,500 that night. “We’re looking at 4 to 7 inches of snow,” he said.

Scattered showers could linger into Tuesday before the arrival of the second storm late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

“That second one looks like it’s going to kind of linger off the coast,” Danielson said. “It’s still a little early to tell, but it looks like there’ll be plenty of cloudiness Wednesday and Thursday, with a chance of more showers.”

The storms make it likely that Los Angeles, which had its driest year in history last year, will have more rain than usual this year. The normal total for the meteorological season -- which runs from July 1 through June 30 -- is about 15 inches, and as of Friday night, 14.69 inches had fallen on the city. Last year’s total was a scant 4.42 inches.

Forecasters said this year’s rains are due, in part, to El Nino, a cyclical oceanic and meteorological phenomenon in which above-average amounts of rain often fall on Southern California.