LA’s warming is coming to an end; Cooler weather and showers are on the way, forecasters say
Enjoy the warmth and sunshine, because forecasters say the unseasonable pattern of high temperatures in Southern California will end after Monday, bringing cooler weather and showers later this week.
“We’ve been stuck in this nice warm and dry pattern but that will all change starting Tuesday,” said Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Oxnard office.
Hot summer-like days from January to early February are typical winter weather patterns in Southern California, according to weather service forecasters.
“We live in a unique location where we get onshore flow and those Santa Ana winds during our winter, and that’s a big driver of the warm and dry weather we’ve had the last few weeks,” Kittell said.
When a storm comes, the winds change direction. Instead of coming from the east, the winds will come from the sea and provide cooler air, he said.
“It’s normal for us to have these sharp turns,” Kittell said. “It’s not normal for us to have such a long period – a full month without rain and warm conditions.”
Forecasters said Monday would be the last warm day of the pattern, with temperatures about 10 degrees above normal. Coastal and mountain areas will be in the low 60s, and downtown Los Angeles will have highs in the 80s.
Temperatures are expected to drop into the 60s on Tuesday and stay there for the rest of the week. There may be a slight warming Friday but it will remain cool compared to what Southern California has been experiencing for the past few weeks, Kittell said.
The low temperatures are expected to continue into next week, “because we have a series of storms headed our way,” he said.
The first will hit the Los Angeles area late Tuesday night and arrive early Wednesday with light to moderate rain. Expected rainfall totals are predicted to be between 1 inch and 1 inch, forecasters said.
“Normally, that kind of rain just gives us problems on the roads with increased traffic and maybe a little bit of flooding on the roads,” Kittell said.
In addition to wet conditions, some strong winds will accompany the storm, especially in mountainous areas where gusts are expected to reach 30 mph to 50 mph.
The weather service issued a high-surf advisory for Ventura County beaches Monday morning due to large breaking waves of 4 to 7 feet with dangerous storm surges. The advisory will remain in effect until Wednesday night.
High waves are already rocking Santa Barbara County beaches, knocking a 26-year-old surfer off his board on Saturday. The man was rescued after holding onto the top of a lobster trap buoy, preventing it from drifting into the sea.
The storm will produce snow in some mountain communities and highways at elevations above 5,000 feet.
“So it’s good to avoid the roads that go through the mountains, if you can, especially on Tuesday night,” said Kittell.
“If the storm passes, we may see continued showers Wednesday night but we will get a break until Saturday,” said Kittell.
Saturday night, a large, slow-moving trough of low pressure will move up the West Coast, bringing rain to the area overnight and continuing through most of Sunday.
Two or three more storms are expected next week but forecasters have yet to predict how much rain they will produce and how strong they will be.
