Rain, Cooling Trend Is On The Way To SoCal: What To Know

LOS ANGELES, CA — On the heels of a blustery weekend that brought some light rain to Southern California, more precipitation and chilly temperatures were forecast for much of the region this week.

Following a period of unseasonably warm and dry weather, Southland residents will experience cooler temperatures beginning Monday night and more rain by midweek, according to the National Weather Service.

"A cool and brisk weather pattern is on tap for today and tonight," the service said Monday. "Showers will mainly linger over the mountains this morning, otherwise skies will clear through the day."

While skies were clear in most areas on Monday morning, light rain fell on Sunday in parts of LA, Riverside and San Diego counties with some areas experiencing thunderstorms.

"A cold upper-level trough can be seen spinning over the Great
Basin this morning," NWS forecasters wrote early Monday.

For midweek, the NWS said a stronger storm system would bring light to moderate rain, gusty winds and mountain snow. For burned areas like the Palisades and Eaton zones, officials said there was very low risk for debris flow.

Radar imagery shows fast moving convective showers over the area. Snow flurries are affecting the Grapevine (not sticking yet, based on CHP cam). In addition, a convective line in Kern County is moving SE at 25 mph and could enhance snow showers in 1-2 hours. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/L8KIDTQTV6
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) March 3, 2025

In LA County, forecasts indicate that rainfall amounts could reach up to an inch in some areas. Meteorologists predict a 70% chance of rain on Wednesday, with new precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Additional rainfall is likely on Thursday, though specific amounts weren't detailed by the NWS.

For Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties, precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch were possible this week, forecasters said.

Snow levels in the San Diego mountains ranged from 3,500 to 4,000 feet on Monday morning. A midweek storm system was expected to bring additional snowfall and create icy conditions on mountain roadways, the service said.

In some parts of SoCal, isolated thunderstorms could also develop Wednesday through Friday, NWS said. The chances of thunder are 10 to 12 percent Wednesday night for the coast, valleys and mountains, moving up to 15 percent on Thursday night, according to NWS San Diego.

"If any thunderstorms develop the main hazards would be lightning, locally heavy rain, erratic winds, and small hail/graupel," forecasters said.

Warm and dry weather was forecast to return by the weekend.

The news comes as Southern California is emerging from the driest start to a normal rainy season in the area's history. Although a handful of atmospheric rivers and small storm systems arrived in February, the region has plunged back into varying degrees of drought.

However, forecasters say there's still hope for significant rain to arrive next month as March is typically one of the wettest months of the year.

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