Light showers will kick off a wet week across Southern California on Monday, Dec. 18, with a heavier, second round of rainfall to arrive around Wednesday and continue through the weekend.
The first storm system was expected to arrive over the region early Monday, bringing with it light, scattered showers that will carry on through Tuesday and into Wednesday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Carol Smith.
Los Angeles County will likely take the brunt of the first storm, with around a quarter to a half inch of rain predicted to fall through Tuesday, with areas higher up including in the San Gabriel Mountains expected to see a bit more rain and snow at around 7,000 feet, Smith said. Wind with speeds around 20-40 mph will blow across the county, with gusts ranging from 30-50 mph.
Elsewhere in the region, Orange County and the Inland Empire will see less rainfall on Monday and Tuesday, said NWS meteorologist Brian Adams.
“The majority of rainfall for Monday and Tuesday is expected to be really showery and widely scattered,” Adams said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if most of Monday or Tuesday remains relatively dry.”
Around 1/2 inch of rain is expected to fall over Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties through Tuesday, with wind speeds of around 2-30 mph and 45 mph gusts.
The second, larger storm system will follow soon after the first, arriving around Wednesday afternoon and continuing through at least Saturday, Adams said.
“From [Wednesday] onward, we’re locked into a pattern of persistent, fairly heavy showers through the weekend,” he said.
Orange County is expected to receive around 2-3 inches of rain by Saturday, with foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains seeing heavier rainfall. The Inland Empire will receive “notably lighter” showers through Saturday, with around 1-2 inches of rain, Adams said.
Around 1-2 inches of snowfall is expected in the San Jacinto Mountains above 6,000 feet, and around the same amount in the San Bernardino Mountains at about 7,000 feet, Adams said.
Los Angeles County will again see the heaviest rainfall, with about 2-5 inches of rain, Smith said.
Heavy winds will be the most consistent element this week, Smith said, continuing through Sunday even after the storm is expected to have moved on.
With El Niño – a natural ocean and weather pattern in the tropical Pacific – already bringing wetter and cooler weather to region, Adams said additional storms could arrive as early as next week, and continue into the New Year.