Southern California braces for rainfall and strong winds on election day

Storms are expected to start hitting Southern California early this week, soaking the region and buffeting it with powerful winds through election day.

“We’re expecting our first really significant rainfall of the season,” said meteorologist Kristen Stewart with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

Stewart said that across the region stretching from San Luis Obispo County to Los Angeles County, the storms are expected to bring at least an inch or two of rainfall, with 3 inches or more possible in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Rain is likely to begin Sunday night across the Central Coast before gradually moving into Los Angeles County on Monday, she said.

The heaviest rains are expected Tuesday, she said. The storm system is also predicted to bring strong winds to the area, with gusts ranging from 30 to 50 miles per hour in much of the region, and upwards of 60 miles per hour in the Antelope Valley, Stewart said.

“This storm system looks like it will be fairly long in duration,” said Casey Oswant, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego, which also tracks trends across Orange County and the Inland Empire. “The most significant rainfall that we’re expecting will really be on Tuesday. ... During that time, people should expect periods of moderate to heavy rain, particularly if they’re closer to the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains.”

Winds are expected to be strongest in the mountain areas and the areas of Apple Valley and Lucerne Valley, Oswant said, with gusts ranging upwards of 50 miles per hour. And high elevations — between 7,000 and 8,000 feet — could get up to 2 feet of snow, she said.

As California candidates and political activists have eyed the forecasts for a stormy election day, many have been urging people to vote early, either at voting centers or by mailing in their ballots. The rain is expected to start dissipating on Wednesday.

Oswant said that “with this storm, we’re really looking out for the potential of flooding,” as well as debris flows near areas with burn scars.

Stewart also cautioned Southern Californians to drive cautiously. “It’s a lot harder to stop when the roads are wet,” she said.