Powerful Storm To Slam Hollywood

LOS ANGELES, CA — A cold storm out of the Gulf of Alaska brought much-needed rain to Southern California Thursday, but the real deluge is yet to come.

The first powerful storm of the season is expected to move in Monday, bringing up to 3 inches of rain along the coast and valleys and up to 5 inches in the foothills along with a thick layer of as much as two feet of snow in the mountains.

Consider Thursday's weak storm a mere preview of what's to come Monday and Tuesday, when "the most significant storm of the season will move through," according to the NWS.

The strong Pacific storm is expected to tap into an atmospheric river, bringing heavy precipitation, forecasters said. It will be the first significant rainfall to come following one of the driest Novembers in decades in Los Angeles.

In the meantime, the cold front will keep the Southland damp and cold — nearly 10 degrees below normal. Forecasters warned that "cool daytime highs and chilly overnight lows" will persist through the weekend, ahead of the "powerful storm system" that will hit the area on Monday and Tuesday.

High temperatures along the coast are expected to linger in the 50s and low 60s through the rest of the week, and in the low 60s in the valleys and Downtown Los Angeles.

By mid-morning Thursday, the weak cold front that arrived overnight had dropped small amounts of rain in many areas, most of which saw less than a quarter-inch, according to the National Weather Service. Snow levels fell to about 6,000 feet, with higher elevations receiving several inches of rain.

Forecasters said light snow could still fall Thursday evening in the northern reaches of the county near the Kern County line, "but no accumulation (is) expected on Interstate 5 over the Grapevine."

Rainfall was expected to taper off by late Thursday. A wind advisory, however, will remain in effect until 3 a.m. Friday in the Los Angeles County Mountains, excluding the Santa Monica range, with sustained winds of 20 to 35 mph expected, along with gusts up to 50 mph. A wind advisory will be in effect until 9 p.m. Thursday in the Antelope Valley, where similar wind speeds are anticipated.

"Peak rainfall rates will be near and could exceed debris flow thresholds for the recent burn areas," according to the NWS.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.