Snow, Lightning & Rain: Late Season Storm Pounds SoCal

LOS ANGELES — Spring continues to prove unruly for Southern California this week as another storm dumps fresh snow in the mountains and hammers the region with rain, hail, thunder and lightning.

The National Weather Service predicted snow levels could drop as low as 3,500 feet, and forecasters said lower elevations could expect a dousing, with a chance for thunderstorms and waterspouts developing through Thursday.

"An anomalously cold low pressure system is centered over California this morning," NWS San Diego wrote Thursday. "The heaviest accumulations thus far have occurred across Orange County and northern portions of the Inland Empire into the San Bernardino County Mountains; Lytle Creek has received the most so far at 1.14 [inches], with Cucamonga Canyon coming in as a close second at 1.10 [inches]."

A winter weather advisory will remain in place above 4,000 feet in San Bernardino County through Thursday evening.

Forecasters expect widespread rain showers will persist across the region Thursday, particularly in the southern portion of the Inland Empire and San Diego County, with several more inches of snow due in the mountains. Thursday will also be the coldest day of the week, with highs up to 30 degrees below average in the mountains and down 5 to 10 degrees elsewhere.

In the Los Angeles forecast area, forecasters noted snow falling at Sandberg early Thursday morning with a chance for levels to drop further as the low moved toward Los Angeles County. The National Weather Service said there was a good chance for several inches of snow to fall at Grapevine.

As for the rain, forecasters predicted up to a half-inch Thursday around Riverside, and close to the same in Beaumont, Temecula, with a bit more favored around Anaheim and Irvine.

Rain totals were already notable heading into late Thursday morning, with Pasadena recording close to 2 inches, followed by Rancho San Julian and Stunt Ranch above 1.5 inches. Around LA, Culver City logged nearly an inch of rain by early Thursday morning, with three-quarters of an inch recorded in Bel Air and a half-inch in Beverley Hills.

A slow warming trend is due to begin Friday and build through the weekend, with temperatures rebounding into the low 70s around Los Angeles and mid-60s around San Diego. Updated climate outlooks favor a warmer, drier period materializing by late next week.