National Weather Service Issues Alerts for Flooding and Possible Tornado
According to the latest reports from the National Weather Service of Los Angeles, a powerful storm system is forecasted to sweep through the region from late Friday through the weekend, bringing heavy rain, mountain snow, and a slight chance of thunderstorms.
The National Weather Service predicts the storm’s arrival, which is expected to start with rain along the SLO County coast by noon Friday. It will then progress southeastward, reaching Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, and eventually Los Angeles County. Heavy rain is anticipated to intensify Friday night into Saturday morning as the main frontal band moves through the area.
Following a temporary decrease in showers on Saturday morning and afternoon, a secondary front is projected to move in Saturday evening into early Sunday, potentially bringing even more impactful weather conditions. This secondary front, closer to the area with greater instability, could lead to thunderstorms with higher rain rates on top of the heavy rainfall expected earlier on Saturday. Showers and isolated thunderstorms are forecasted to persist through Sunday, particularly across LA and Ventura Counties.
Rainfall totals are estimated to range from 1-3 inches for coastal and valley areas, with higher amounts of 3-6 inches expected for higher foothills and mountains. South of Pt Conception, higher rain amounts are anticipated due to favorable upslope flow and likely greater coverage of post-frontal showers and storms on Sunday.
Flood watches have been issued for most areas through the weekend due to expected periods of heavy rain starting on Friday. This will lead to frequent and widespread road flooding as well as additional mud and rock slides. Thunderstorms on Sunday could bring small hail, gusty winds, frequent lightning, and possibly even a small tornado or waterspout.
In the mountains, significant snow accumulations are expected, especially above 6000 feet, where 1-2 feet are possible. A winter storm watch has been issued for the mountains from Santa Barbara County through LA County from late Friday through Sunday afternoon. While chances for snow on the Grapevine remain slim, with snow levels expected to stay mostly at or above 4500 feet, a dusting at pass level cannot be ruled out.
Precipitation is anticipated to taper off by Sunday evening, although it could linger across eastern LA County as late as early Monday morning.
