A winter storm churning toward Southern California will bring heavy rain, snow and cold temperatures just in time for the height of Thanksgiving travel week.
The system can be broken into two parts with the main cold front arriving Wednesday. Expect a brief period of heavy rain moving from west to east through the day.
“Three days worth of rain is going to cause some flood potential,” said NBC4 forecaster Shanna Mendiola. “It’s also going to make driving difficult in those canyons and passes.”
Snow levels will be starting around 5,000 feet and briefly climb above 6000 feet just ahead of the front. On the back side of the front, snow levels will quickly fall to below the Tejon Pass by the afternoon/evening hours.
Most of the rainfall from this system will fall during a few hours on Wednesday, however right now it looks like we will sit below Flash Flood/Debris Flow thresholds of 0.50 inches per hour. It is still worth keeping an eye on Burn Scars. The primary flooding threat should be roadways and intersections, along with areas with poor drainage.
The second part of the system arrives Thursday and Friday. It will mainly consist of showers on the back side of the cold front. Cold air will continue to move over the region, so snow levels will continue to fall all the way through Friday.
The cold air will also allow some isolated heavier showers to develop, with maybe a rumble of thunder. Thursday and Friday may not add much to rain totals. It really depends on where showers set up and how many showers are on the heavier side. The system looks to depart the region pretty quickly, so Friday may end up pretty dry.
A flash flood watch will be in effect from late Tuesday night through Thursday evening for multiple areas, including Orange County and parts of San Bernardino and Riverside counties. There could be heavy rain and small hail from Tuesday night until Friday — and even a few inches of snow near Grapevine, north of the county.
Due to the snow and ice on Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles and the heavy rain in other areas, drivers were advised to make their Thanksgiving trips through those locations Tuesday or Wednesday morning.
An estimated 49.3 million people are driving from home for Thanksgiving, the second-highest volume recorded by the American Automobile Assocation since 2005.
There will also likely be some flight delays due to the weather.
Anyone planning to visit the beach during the week of Thanksgiving should be aware of high surf and rip currents through Wednesday for LA, Orange and Ventura counties.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Source: NBC Los Angeles
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