‘ Biggest storm of the winter’ set to slam southern California

What might likely be the biggest storm of the winter in southern California is set up to bring drenching rain, heavy mountain snow and howling winds Friday and Saturday — and also will take a massive chunk out of the region’s lingering drought.

Floods, mudslides, rockslides, travel delays and power outages are all possible, the National Weather Service warned.

It likely will be the strongest storm in the past six years and potentially as far back as 2004 or 1995, the weather service in Los Angeles wrote.

“This is not a typical storm,” said Kathy Hoxsie, a weather service meteorologist.

More than 20 million people, including those in metro Los Angeles and San Diego, are under a flash- flood watch. Even Death Valley National Park is under a flood watch, Weather. com said.

Los Angeles could see one of its rainiest days on record Friday. If the city picks up more than 4.1 inches of rain, that would crack its list of top 10 rainiest days since records began in 1877, according to Weather Channel meteorologist Greg Diamond.

About 3 to 6 inches of rain is expected around Los Angeles, with 6 to 12 inches of rain likely in the mountains below snow levels, said AccuWeather meteorologist Ken Clark.

Thunderstorms are possible Friday into early Saturday in parts of Southern California, some of which could spin up a tornado, Weather. com said.

The winter already has been one for the record books in the state. Since Oct. 1, it’s been the second- wettest water year to date in California, according to Paul Iñiguez, a weather service meteorologist in Phoenix.