It should be most dry across the Southland Tuesday, providing a short break from a rainy weather pattern that will bring more precipitation to the region starting Wednesday, potentially dropping several inches of rain and bringing snow to the mountains.
A winter storm watch will take effect late Tuesday night and remain in place until late Thursday night in the Los Angeles County mountains, excluding the Santa Monica range. According to the National Weather Service, “heavy snow” is possible, with 1 to 3 feet accumulating above 5,000 feet. The snow will be accompanied by winds gusting up to 40 mph.
“Travel could be very difficult to impossible,” according to the NWS. “Some mountain roadways that could be affected by snowfall include Angeles Crest Highway, Mount Baldy Road and Highway 39 in Los Angeles County.”
Forecasters said the storm could bring brief heavy downpours to the region, particularly if the weather system “stalls” over the area.
“There remains some uncertainty, however, on exactly where this storm will stall,” according to the NWS. “Storm rain totals of 2 to 6 inches are expected where this stall occurs, highest in the foothills, with snow totals of 1 to 3 feet above 5,000-foot elevations. Elsewhere, more modest totals of 0.5 to 2 inches of rain and 6 to 12 inches of snow are expected.”
The rain is expected to start around midnight. Temperatures will also remain “significantly below average” across the region, according to the NWS.
The rainy weather is expected to continue through Thursday, with dry — but cool — conditions anticipated starting Friday and lasting through the holiday weekend.
