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After a wet weekend, more rain – and cold temps – expected Tuesday

by in News

The gusty storm that blew in to Southern California Friday night brought scattered rain and some traffic headaches on Saturday.

Sunday is expected to bring rain off and on, forecasters say. But a bigger, colder storm system threatens to show up on Tuesday and dump heavier rain through Thursday.

  • Hikers find dramatic skies over Vasquez Canyon Natural Area in Aqua Dulce, CA Thursday. Scattered showers are expected through the area over the next several days as another storm system passes through Southern California. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

  • Rain forms puddles on the basketball court in Laguna Beach, making the game a little slippery for Bridger Palmer on Saturday, March 2, 2019. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  • Girls brave the wind and rain in Laguna Beach on
    Saturday, March 2, 2019. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Boys frolic in the Salt Creek Beach tunnel on their way to the rain-soaked beach in Dana Point on Saturday, March 2, 2019. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Sailboats cruise through the choppy and rainy Dana Point Harbor on Saturday, March 2, 2019. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • A boat cruises through the rain in Dana Point Harbor on
    Saturday, March 2, 2019. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • The rain doesn’t prevent this dog from getting a walk in Dana Point Harbor on Saturday, March 2, 2019. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Two missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — in shirts, ties and dress shoes — play pick-up basketball in the rain with twin brothers, Bridger Palmer, left and Brecken, right. The missionaries, who did not want to be identified, were playing for a chance to share their religion with the 20-year-old twins. The twins won 11-2 in Laguna Beach on Saturday, March 2, 2019. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Twins Bridger Palmer, left and Brecken, don’t let the rain spoil their spring break fun in Laguna Beach on
    Saturday, March 2, 2019. The 20-year-olds are on break from the University of Redlands. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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A portion of the 5 Freeway in Santa Clarita near Magic Mountain Parkway was temporarily closed because of flooding Saturday morning, according to a California Highway Patrol incident log. There also were CHP reports about rocks that had crumbled onto the Angeles Forest Highway south of Palmdale and a downed tree in a residential area in Lake Elsinore.

Aside from the closures, fire and rescue officials across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties reported no major weather-related incidents.

“It’s a low pressure system, which is fairly typical over the winter, so there’s nothing special about it,” said Keily Delerme a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The warm rain crept into the region westward from the Pacific Ocean, sucking in some moisture from the south on Friday night, Delerme said. The storm, which had already spilled most of its rain by Saturday morning, tapered off into a series of light showers. Coupled with 20 mile per hour wind gusts, Los Angeles County area saw about ¾ to an inch and a quarter of rain and up to two inches in the mountains and foothills.

Urban Orange County and Inland areas had even less rain, about half an inch onto the area, said Joe Dandrea, a NWS meteorologist. The mountain areas received about one inch of rain. Winds were blowing from the south at 20 miles per hour, but on Sunday, the winds are expected to calm down and change direction, coming from the west.

On Sunday, residents should expect showers on and off, Dandrea said.

Delerme said the lack of intense rain has kept the fire burn areas free of problems. Typically debris flow and mudslides are threats when heavier rains fall for a sustained period of time.

Monday should be fair, forecasters say, with clouds likely to form in the afternoon. By Tuesday, the storm is expected to blow in from the north, along the Pacific coast, bringing colder temperatures and heavier rain into Wednesday and Thursday. One to three inches of rain are projected.

Rescue officials said it is still too early to predict whether the mid-week storm will spell problems for burn areas and flood canals.

Tawny Cabral, a spokeswoman for Cal Fire-Riverside County Fire, said the National Weather Service provides officials with weather reports every 12 hours.

“Once we get closer, we check whether it meets the threshold for flash flooding,” Cabral said. “That’s when we ramp up things for the storm.”