'Significant' Storm To Dump Rain, Snow Across Southern California

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — The first big storm of the season is expected to bring several days of rain, cool temperatures and wind to wide swaths of Southern California, weather officials said.

Showers were forecast for as early as Sunday evening in Los Angeles County as the storm system travels from the Bay Area, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm system is forecast to drench the region through Wednesday, bringing more than 4 inches of rain. The storm could also dump nearly a foot of snow at higher elevations.

A drying trend is expected to hit the region the latter half of the week.

Gusts of 40 mph are anticipated to whip through parts of the region Sunday night and Monday in the mountains and high desert. Gusts are expected to intensify to 55 mph Tuesday.

Motorists are urged to prepare for slick roads and winter conditions in the mountains, as well as complications expected along the Grapevine through Tuesday evening.

“It’s the first good rain event of the season so just be prepared for that and if you’re traveling in the mountains be careful and be prepared for winter weather conditions,” Rich Thompson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, told the Los Angeles Times.

The storm system will bring much needed rain to Southern California, as much of the region still remains under severe, extreme, and in some areas, exceptional drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.