Storms and heavy rain have arrived in Southern California. Here's what to expect
We have a pair of major Pineapple Express storm systems riding the atmospheric river and about to bring heavy rain and high winds to our area. The zonal Pacific jet stream is sagging further south and more directly aimed at California now than in the previous months, opening the door to more storm activity as we enter into February like a lion!
Thursday:
Storm #1 moved from northern California into our area overnight. Ventura County saw the first of the rain bands move in and LA County began to see activity after midnight, followed by Orange County around 4am.
This storm will hold together as it moves across SoCal, so expect widespread rain (heavy at times) on Thursday. Roadway and small stream flooding is possible with this first event as well as some isolated thunderstorms & heavy downpours in this unstable subtropical airmass.
Tapping into that subtropical moisture, it is good that this storm is a quick mover. Rainfall totals for the area look to sit around 1" to 3" for the bulk of our area, with the foothills and mountains seeing 4" to 5". The heavy rain should clear by 9am in Ventura & LA Counties, 10am for Orange County, and 12pm for the Inland Empire. Rain rates look to be at ½" per hour, but heavier where we see thunderstorms.
Scattered showers will stick around off and on through the day, with a 20-30% chance of isolated storms mainly in the mid to late morning timeframe.
As for snow elevations, they will start at 6,000'-8,000' tomorrow morning and then drop to 3,000'-4,000' as the colder air moves in behind on Thursday night. A Winter Weather Advisory has already been issued for our resorts and the I-5 Grapevine as conditions will get worse throughout the day tomorrow.
Wind Advisory has already been issued for the Inland Empire and Orange County for tomorrow with sustained winds at 15-25 mph and gusts up to 45mph. Winds will be strongest in the morning hours.
Flood Watch has also been issued for the Inland Empire and Orange County through Thursday afternoon for roadway flooding. An Urban and Small Stream Flood Advisory will likely be issued for LA County tomorrow as well.
Looking ahead:
Storm #2 is primed to pack a punch and be more well-situated to bring more rain and concerns for flooding on saturated ground. Since we are still 5 days out from this system, which is ready to move in Sunday to Tuesday, we will keep you posted on how this storm is progressing. For now, be prepared for both systems and we will keep you posted!
The morning commute tomorrow will not be easy, so leave yourself plenty of time, remember those stopping distances, and if there is any water in the roadway find an alternate route.
Stay safe!
Meteorologist Marina Jurica