Rain, Wind And Brisk Days As Fall Weather Settles Over SoCal: Forecast

LOS ANGELES — A taste of fall is on the menu this weekend as a low-pressure system delivers cool, breezy, and showery weather to SoCal. According to the National Weather Service, updated models favor rain developing Saturday and Sunday as temperatures tumble into the 60s in most areas.

Forecasters said onshore winds and a deepening marine layer would kick off a cooling trend Thursday, with wetter and windier rainy conditions due by the weekend. Though the amount and timing of the rain are still being worked out, there is a chance SoCal could brush up against an atmospheric river.

"Some of the [model] guidance does have a weak atmospheric river extending into Southern California on Saturday," NWS San Diego forecasters wrote Thursday morning. "While it is increasingly likely that most areas from the coast to the mountains will get at least some measurable precipitation sometime during Saturday and Sunday, there is less confidence in the timing and amounts. Rainfall for Saturday through Sunday could range from less than one-tenth inch near the coast to one-quarter, to locally one-half inch in the mountains."

Forecasters see some chance for greater rain totals in southwestern portions of San Diego County, and around a 10 percent chance for an inch of rain falling over Palomar Mountain. Around Los Angeles, forecasters predict a quarter-inch or less for most areas, with a half-inch possible near the San Gabriel Mountains.

Snow levels should stay relatively high, ranging from 7,500 to 8,000 feet Saturday, before dropping as low as 6,500 feet Sunday. Temperatures will run 10 to 20 degrees below normal by Saturday, and should dip even further by Sunday when most areas outside the deserts will top out in the 60s.

The change in the air will be accompanied by breezy conditions, with peak wind gusts north of 20 mph along the coast and inland areas, and blowing stronger in the mountains and deserts.

The National Weather Service expects more typical weather to emerge early next week, with models favoring afternoon highs to warm 15 to 20 degrees, landing right around the average for early October.