201810.13
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Santa Ana winds coming to Southern California after early weekend downpours

by in News

After little to no rainfall this summer, much of Southern California was greeted by surprise downpours late Friday and early Saturday, but storms won’t be in the area for long.

From Friday to Saturday afternoon, over a half-inch of rain fell near the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, while areas in Orange County and the Inland Empire got well over an inch. It was a welcomed bit of rain from an area that hadn’t received anywhere close to its normal annual precipitation.

National Weather Service data show that for the water year ending Sept. 30, downtown Los Angeles received just 32 percent of its average precipitation, with little or no measurable rain since June. Santa Ana had received just 20 percent of its normal rainfall, while Long Beach was at 29 percent and Riverside was at 34 percent.

The storms delayed and postponed high school football games, closed several roads at Joshua Tree National Park and left thousands without power.

Keily Delerme, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Los Angeles that covers Los Angeles and Ventura counties, said that outside of potential scattered rain Saturday night, odds are Southern California won’t see any more rainfall for the coming  week, and will instead be affected  by Santa Ana winds and drier conditions starting Sunday.

“The low pressure will be moving away from us, so don’t expect any more rain going into tomorrow,” Delerme said. “We expect winds in the coastal areas between 15-to-30 miles-per-hour with gusts of 50 mph in the Los Angeles areas.”

The National Weather Service in San Diego said to expect similar numbers in Orange County and the Inland Empire as well, with high temperatures in the 80s and low temperatures in the 50s throughout all four major Southern California counties.

Winds will persist until Wednesday night, the NWS said.

The dry and windy weather is enough for the Santa Ana Wildfire Threat Index to flag Los Angeles County as a moderate wildfire threat on Monday and a marginal threat on Tuesday, while Orange County and the Inland Empire were flagged as a marginal wildfire threat on Monday.

San Diego’s National Weather Service also issued a Red Flag Warning, which indicates that an area with high winds and/or low humidity is ideal for wildfires.

The NWS issued a beach hazard statement through Sunday evening for Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange Counties. The statement warned people to stay off rocks, out of tidal pools and back from the water’s edge. It also said to always swim near a lifeguard. The  statement was issued due to elevated surf and strong rip currents.

Health care agencies for Orange and Los Angeles counties issued rain advisories for all ocean and bay waters. Rain advisories advise swimmers that bacteria levels in ocean and bay waters can rise significantly in areas adjacent to storm drains, creeks and rivers during and after rainstorms.

Those elevated levels of bacteria can continue for at least three days depending on the intensity of the rain and volume of the runoff, the OC Health Care Agency stated, making the water unsuitable for swimming or contact by beachgoers.