A Holiday Wrapped in Showers Likely

Rain might fall in Los Angeles on Christmas Day for the first time 20 years.

The city hasn’t had a rainy Christmas since 1983, but forecasters said there’s a 70% chance that streak will end Thursday.

“We are expecting a half to one inch of rain on Christmas,” said David Gomberg, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “Back in 1983, we had 1.16 inches of rain [on Christmas Day].”

There is a 20% chance of rain for today, Gomberg said.

Low temperatures Thursday are expected to range from the upper 30s in the San Fernando Valley to upper 40s downtown. Highs are expected to be in the upper 50s and lower 60s, Gomberg said.

There were scattered showers Tuesday throughout the Los Angeles area, with 0.06 of an inch reported downtown as of 4 p.m. and 0.20 of an inch in Malibu and Agoura Hills.

“There was just enough rain to cause problems on the freeways and streets, especially with all the holiday traffic,” Gomberg said. “The storm on Christmas should be stronger.”

The snow level in the local mountains is predicted to be around 7,000 feet on Thursday, but could drop down to 3,000 to 4,000 feet on Friday, Gomberg said. “Friday there could be problems driving on the Grapevine,” said Gomberg, referring to the stretch of Golden State Freeway that leads to the San Joaquin Valley, and peaks at 4,144 feet near Gorman.