Fast-Moving Cold Storm Will Bring Rain To Santa Monica

SANTA MONICA, CA — A cold storm out of the gulf of Alaska will bring showers to Southern California and snow in the mountains before clearing out Saturday night, forecasters said.

In Santa Monica, there is a 10 percent chance of showers after 4 p.m. Friday. As of Friday night, showers are likely and thunderstorms are also possible after 10 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. Friday will see a high near 69 degrees and a low near 53 degrees.

Showers and a possible thunderstorm are likely through Saturday, with a high near 60 degrees. Saturday night will see patchy fog after 10 p.m. with increasing clouds and a low around 52 degrees.

By early next week, temperatures will jump up back up into the mid-to-high 70s.

The storm was some 500 miles to the west over the Pacific Ocean this morning and expected to slide into Southern California Friday evening, remaining through Saturday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Hall.

Along with showers Friday evening, the storm is expected to produce 1-3 inches of snow in the San Gabriel Mountains at around the 5,000-foot level, far above The Grapevine, meaning no major impacts are expected over the Interstate 5 corridor, Hall said. At sea level, between a tenth and a quarter-inch of rain is expected while in the mountains, the storm could generate between a quarter and a half-inch of rain, he said.

As of Friday morning, no mud slides or debris flows are expected over burn areas, but that could change if a thunderstorm parks itself over slopes denuded by wildfire, Hall said, adding that the chance of thunderstorms is slight late Friday evening and Saturday morning.

City News Service contributed to this post