Rain to linger through Friday
The showers are just in time to help the region rebound from a parched start to 2020.
Showers come after the L.A. area’s 10thdriest February.
A slow-moving storm that moved into Los Angeles County early Tuesday, slowing the morning commute and threatening to unleash thunderstorms across the area, was expected to taper off Wednesday evening, but scattered showers are possible through the rest of the week as another low-pressure system moves into the region Friday.
The low-pressure system— fed by a plume of subtropical water vapor at the lower and middle levels of the atmosphere — was expected to bring 0.5 to 1.5 inches of rain to the coast and valleys of Los Angeles County, with up to 3 inches possible in the foothills and mountains through at least Wednesday, said Joe Sirard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
By Tuesday evening, rainfall totals were 0.29 of an inch in downtown L.A., 0.17 at Los Angeles International Airport, 0.40 in Avalon on Santa Catalina Island, 0.34 in Beverly Hills and 0.56 in Malibu Canyon.
“The main concern really is there could be some urban flooding and ponding of water on roadways, which could make for some pretty hazardous driving conditions,” Sirard said.
“If people hear thunder, the best thing they can do to protect themselves is to go indoors. People should use common sense.”
Forecasters were also warning of minor mud and debris flows in recent burn areas and rockslides along mountain and canyon roadways, mainly across Santa Barbara County.
A previously forecast atmospheric river carrying the bulk of the subtropical moisture is expected to remain to the south of California, which will result in lower overall rainfall amounts than meteorologists initially predicted. The system will still tap into some of that moisture, but instead of consistent downpours typical of an atmospheric river, it’s more likely to result in widespread showers, forecasters said.
Snow levels are expected to drop to about 7,000 feet, with eight to 10 inches of snow possible at the “resort level” above 8,000 feet.
The rain appears to be just in time to help the region rebound from disappointing precipitation totals after a parched start to 2020. A high-pressure ridge that lingered over the eastern Pacific Ocean for much of January
and February rerouted winter storms that typically soak California during what are usually the state’s wettest months.
A total of 0.04 inch of rain fell in downtown Los Angeles last month, placing it in a tie with February 1899 for the 10th-driest February on record.
Downtown L.A. also had its fourth-driest combined January and February on record after just 0.36 inch fell during the first two months of 2020.
Forecasters and water managers are hopeful that a wet month, a so-called miracle March, may help bolster lackluster winter rain totals and help keep the state out of drought conditions.