L.A. County, Including Beverly Hills To Be Drenched By Rain This Week, Starting Today
Cooler than normal temperatures will prevail this week due to the unsettled weather through Thursday, followed by a trough of low pressure lingering over the area into this weekend, according to a National Weather statement.
Between late Monday evening and Tuesday morning, the atmosphere will moisten rapidly as subtropical moisture associated with an atmospheric river reaches the region, it said, adding: “The atmosphere looks to moisten from the top down through Tuesday.”
NWS meteorologist Rich Thompson said the effect will feel a great deal like a Pineapple Express — atmospheric moisture that builds up in the tropical Pacific before reaching the West Coast, packing a huge amount of rain.
The expected duration of the rainfall will make the approaching weather system “the most significant of the entire winter rainy season,” which begins in October, according to the statement.
“A good 36 hours of precipitation could add up to impressive rainfall totals through Thursday approaching 4-6 inches in the foothills and 2-4 inches for coastal areas,” the statement said, adding that the most rain is expected in the San Gabriel Mountains in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
“Rain will taper to showers Thursday afternoon with lingering scattered showers into Friday morning,” the statement said.
The statement warned that “the most critical time for recent burn areas will be from early Wednesday into Wednesday night. This is when steady rain rates could easily jump above a half-inch per hour.”
But the NWS said overnight that it would wait for additional computer models before issuing flash-flood warnings, even though it’s already clear that “periods of moderate to heavy rain are possible Wednesday through Thursday night. Rainfall rates during this time will likely exceed U.S. Geological Survey thresholds for debris flows near recent burn areas. Rainfall totals could bring local flooding to small streams and urban low-lying areas.”
