An intense storm system headed to Southern California this weekend prompted officials to issue flood watches and winter storm warnings across much of the region.
Cooler temperatures and cloudy skies begin moving into the Southland Friday with “the vast majority of us expecting to see that rain throughout the morning on Saturday,” KTLA’s Kirk Hawkins said.
Showers and a chance of thunderstorms will remain in the forecast Saturday and Sunday with a smaller chance of rain continuing into Monday.
“This Easter, instead of Easter egg hunts we could see some hail, some gusty winds, some small tornadoes, maybe even water spouts,” Kirk said.
The National Weather Service calls for the storm to bring between 1 and 3 inches of rain through Monday. Mountain and foothill areas could see up to 6 inches of rain. Totals in areas affected by thunderstorms could rise even higher.
“It’s going to be a fairly intense weekend for this story system,” Kirk said. “There are flood watches, winter storm warnings and high wind watches expected to continue really through Sunday.”
Flood watches are in place for portions of Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange Counties through Sunday afternoon.
“Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, urban areas, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations,” the Weather Service stated.
Snow levels are expected to fall to around the 4,500-foot mark with a 20% chance that snow could affect travel on the I-5 Freeway through the Tejon Pass.
Between one and two feet of snow is forecast to fall at our local resorts above 6,000 feet.
A winter storm warning will be in place for the San Gabriel Mountains and Highway 14 Corridor, including the Tejon Pass, Gorman, Pyramid Lake, Acton, Warm Springs, Mill Creek, Mount Wilson, Mount Baldy, Wrightwood and The Angeles Crest Highway from 2 a.m. Saturday to 11 p.m. Sunday.
“Travel could be very difficult to impossible,” the Weather Service said.
Gusty winds are already impacting the region Friday with some of the strongest conditions being felt in the mountain areas.
Downed trees and power outages are possible when winds are at their strongest.
A high wind warning will be in place between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. Friday for the Los Padres National Forest.
South winds between 30 to 40 mph with gusts to 60 mph are expected, according to the Weather Service.
Wind advisories will be in place for Orange County coastal and inland areas, including the cities of Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, San Clemente, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Garden Grove, Irvine, Orange, Fullerton, and Mission Viejo from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. Saturday.
Sunny skies and warmer temperatures are expected to return on Tuesday.