Sunnier Skies Ahead For Rained Out SoCal

After a series of holiday storms that barreled through Southern California, the region will get a little reprieve this week, according to weather experts.

Forecasters at the National Weather Service said early Monday that they were cautiously optimistic about an end to the rain in the Southland as questions remain for the Tuesday forecast.

Most likely, it'll be mostly cloudy with a small chance of rain, but after that, grey skies are expected to break apart for drier and sunnier days.

"Drier weather is expected later Tuesday through late in the week. There will be slow warming trend during the day but the nights will be cooler than normal for many areas Wednesday night through Friday," the NWS wrote in its Monday forecast discussion.

Monday was expected to be "a rather benign day" weather-wise, with some clouds and light showers likely into the evening, especially across the Central Coast, the NWS said.

"Rainfall amounts, if any, will be light and result in minimal impact," forecasters wrote. "Otherwise, temperatures will be a couple degrees warmer than Sunday with more sunshine across the area."

During the second half of the week, Southlanders can expect Santa Ana winds, officials said.

Looking to the weekend, residents are likely to see a "return to postcard weather," with three days of warming Friday through Sunday, a NWS forecaster wrote.

Here's the forecast across several SoCal cities on Tuesday, according to the NWS:

Los Angeles: Partly sunny, with a high near 64. East northeast wind around 5 mph becoming south southeast in the afternoon.

Long Beach: Partly sunny, with a high near 64. East wind around 5 mph.

Newport Beach: Partly sunny, with a high near 64. East wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.

Mission Viejo: Partly sunny, with a high near 64. East wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.

San Diego: Partly sunny, with a high near 65. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.

Santee: Partly sunny, with a high near 65. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Temecula: Partly sunny, with a high near 63. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.

Banning: Partly sunny, with a high near 59. East wind around 5 mph.

Earlier this week, state and local officials put precautions in place earlier for weather- related emergency response needs.

Gov. Gavin Newsom directed the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services to pre-position fire and rescue personnel and resources in areas most at risk for flooding, mud, and debris flows — including parts of Southern California, with a particular concern around areas scarred by wildfires that devastated Los Angeles exactly one year ago.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' office said the city's Emergency Operations Center was activated Wednesday to coordinate preparedness measures and ensure all personnel are ready to respond as needed.

Bass added that the LAFD augmented staffing of specialized resources that can assist with swift water rescues, mud and debris flows, and other rain-related issues with a specific focus in burn scar areas.

The holiday storms that ripped through Southern California not only broke rainfall records, they spurred water rescues and even deaths. On Saturday, a man died after being swept away in a creek in Santa Barbara County as heavy rain brought road closures and flash flood warnings to the area

On Sunday, a man was rescued from "cold, fast-moving" water in Orange County and was hospitalized.

And last week, a woman's body was pulled from the Santa Ana River on New Year's Day.

Her family is now raising funds to support funeral expenses and support for her two daughters.

"This sudden and heartbreaking loss has deeply affected our family, and we are doing everything we can to support Alejandra’s girls as they face an uncertain future without their mother," wrote Michelle Flores Norman, the organizer of the fundraiser.

READ MORE: OC Woman Pulled From Santa Ana River Identified As Mother Of Two