Will Southern California’s wet weather soon come to an end?
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Southern California’s soggy week isn’t over just yet, as more rain arrived Friday ahead of a chilly, dry weekend.
The final round of rain for the week was expected to deliver between a tenth and a quarter of an inch of rain along the coast and valleys. Farther north, rainfall totals will be a little higher, ranging from half an inch to an inch in Santa Barbara County.
“It’s going to be a little bit more than just light rain, but not much more,” said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
But don’t stash those umbrellas quite yet. There’s a chance Monday could bring light rain to parts of the Southland, with the bulk of the moisture aimed north of Point Conception, according to the National Weather Service.
The remnants of an atmospheric river that will hit Northern California this weekend will bring cold and windy conditions to the southern section of the state before things look to dry out again, according to a weather service forecast.
A major storm continued to wallop much of Southern California on Thursday morning, bringing evacuation warnings, fears of mudslides and heavy mountain snow.
The rain that arrived in the area Friday morning is expected to linger through the late afternoon or early evening. It may also deliver a few more inches of snow, including along the Grapevine portion of the 5 Freeway, adding to the hefty accumulation of fresh powder that fell over the region’s mountains this week.
A winter storm warning remains in effect for the Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara county mountains through 5 a.m. Saturday, forecasting possible heavy snow and winds gusting up to 50 mph.
The series of atmospheric rivers that hit this week delivered a considerable dose of moisture to the region, which is still struggling to catch up after a drier-than-normal start to winter.
In Los Angeles County, Cogswell Dam received 3.82 inches of rain over the course of three days. Beverly Hills saw 1.29 inches and downtown Los Angeles received 1.22 inches. In the San Fernando Valley, the storm dumped 2.28 inches on Woodland Hills and 1.60 inches on La Cañada Flintridge.
Hollywood Burbank Airport nudged out its previous rainfall total record by a hundredth of an inch, receiving 0.94 inches over the last three days, compared with 0.93 inches in 1986. At Long Beach Airport, 0.65 of an inch of rain fell, breaking a record of 0.53 of an inch set in 1998.
And at Lancaster’s Fox Field, record rainfall of 0.52 of an inch fell, breaking the previous record of 0.40 of an inch set in 2020.
This week’s storms have also helped bolster the state’s snowpack, which typically provides one-third of California’s water supply. As of Friday, the Sierra Nevada snowpack measured 89% of its historical average for this time of year — with heavier accumulation in the north and less in the central and southern sections of the mountain range. In January, the snowpack measured just 65% of average.
An atmospheric river storm taking aim at Northern California this weekend could further bolster the snow supply.
“It’s been quite a boost,” said Andy Reising, manager of snow surveys and water supply forecasting for the state Department of Water Resources. “Some of the early indications this year was that we might be coming up on a dry year. Fortunately, the storm door has opened quite a few times and we’ve gotten some of those atmospheric rivers that we count on to get a decent snow year.”
Months into the rainy season, Southern California is now experiencing moderate drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
While Thursday’s storm delivered some wild weather, including a tornado in Pico Rivera and some flooding, it wasn’t quite as strong as the February system that triggered mudslides along Pacific Coast Highway and swept a vehicle into the ocean, Wofford said.
Both Saturday and Sunday are expected to be dry, but still a bit chilly with daytime temperatures in the mid- to high 60s in Los Angeles and Orange counties. By Monday, another storm will move into the region, bringing a roughly 30% chance of light rain to Los Angeles. There’s also a chance the Southland may experience only some gusty winds from the system, Wofford said.
“It’s going to be pretty light if we get anything,” Wofford said.
Despite the recent wet weather, much of Southern California is still several inches below normal in terms of rainfall for the water year.
Downtown L.A. has received 7.58 inches of rain since the water year began Oct. 1. The average for this point in the season is 11.96 inches and the annual average is 14.25 inches.
“We have some making up to do,” Wofford said. “Next week isn’t going to bring us much, so we’re going to be in a deficit for a while. Unless something really drastic changes, we’ll probably end up below normal for the season.”
