Rain Expected Friday and Possibly Next Week

A good chance of rain Friday and again next week will renew threats of flooding and mudslides in saturated Southern California, forecasters said Wednesday.

“Rain is a very strong bet for Ventura and Los Angeles counties Friday and Friday night,” the National Weather Service said Wednesday. “For now, amounts ranging from around an inch in eastern and southern Los Angeles County to a few hundredths [of an inch] or less north of Point Conception seem reasonable.”

Friday’s storm is approaching from the south, so the first sprinkles are expected in San Diego, Imperial and Orange counties, sometime before dawn. The heaviest rain is expected Friday afternoon and night.

Forecasters urged residents to stay alert to the potential for flooding and mudslides.

Little rain has fallen in the last three weeks, but Southland hillsides remain saturated from record downpours in December and January. A mudslide killed 10 in the Ventura County coastal community of La Conchita on Jan. 10. In downtown Los Angeles, total rainfall for the season, which runs from July 1 to June 30, stands at 22.85 inches, almost six times the normal total for the date.

The weather service said showers were expected to taper off Saturday morning, with dry but cloudy weather Saturday afternoon, Sunday and Monday. There is a chance of rain again by Tuesday “and next week could be a wet one,” the weather service said.