Southern California may finally see rain following several days of unseasonal heat.
Skies are expected to darken and the marine layer return starting Tuesday with mid to high level clouds moving in from the north.
“The clouds and onshore flow will drop most temperatures about 15 degrees, bringing them back down to normal values,” said the National Weather Service (NWS).
The NWS said rain is possible in Los Angeles County after midnight on Tuesday. Forecasters said the models estimate the rain will be less than initially thought and will move through the area faster than first predicted. Officials said Los Angeles County could see up to half inch.
“The best chance of rain will be Wednesday morning and afternoon with rain tapering off overnight Wednesday and pretty much ending Thursday morning,” said the NWS forecast.
“Since the bulk of the dynamics of this storm are concentrated in the southern portion of upper low’s flow it is likely that Orange and San Diego county will receive the majority of the rain from this system.”
To the north, winds are picking up, rekindling fears of wildfire.
Northern California is bracing for more power outages after Pacific Gas & Electric started notifying customers that it may turn off electricity Wednesday because of strong winds that could spark wildfires.
The latest planned blackout is expected to affect 660,000 people in parts of 22 counties, including the San Francisco suburbs, Sierra Nevada foothills and wine country.
The notices Monday come as California lawmakers prepare to grill PG&E officials at a hearing over massive outages last month, including one that affected nearly 2.5 million people.
Local officials and customers said the utility botched communications and the outages meant to prevent electrical equipment from igniting fires were too broad.
California regulators have ordered PG&E to say why it should not be sanctioned for violating state rules regarding such shutoffs.
Three Day Forecast
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 70. Light and variable wind becoming west southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Tuesday Night: Showers likely, mainly after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. South southeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Wednesday: Showers likely, mainly before 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61. East northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south southwest in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Wednesday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 61.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 52.
editor@smdp.com
