Rain has been in the forecast for Southern California all week, but forecasters have spent the past few days trying to figure out how much will fall and when.
A low-pressure system is moving into an atmospheric river in the Pacific, pushing several inches of rain and snow to Northern California and Oregon, but what will happen in the south is a little more difficult to predict.
“That’s the problem because we’re not taking direct action from this storm,” KTLA meteorologist Henry DiCarlo said Thursday.
Southern California is also being protected by a high pressure area to the east, but as the storm approaches forecasters have been able to get a clearer picture of what to expect.
Rain is expected from Friday through Saturday. (National Weather Service)
As of Thursday, the National Weather Service is predicting that Southern California will be hit by a series of storms beginning Friday night and continuing into Saturday morning.
Rainfall from this first burst should remain less than a quarter of an inch in most parts of the county with parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties receiving more.
The peak from this first rain will be between 9 am and 9 pm Saturday, according to the Weather Service.
Sunday is likely to be a dry and cloudy day with forecasters calling for showers to arrive later this evening and continue into Monday afternoon.
“Rainfall in this system now looks similar to the Friday night Saturday system: generally a quarter to an inch with higher amounts in higher elevations,” the Weather Service said in its forecast.
Snow levels are expected to remain much higher than 8,000 feet.
The third wave will arrive on Tuesday but the forecasters are not yet sure how much rain it will rain.
Severe conditions are expected to return to the region on Wednesday, Henry said.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and video coverage, go to KTLA.