Warmer weather on tap for Southern California after weekend of storms
In this Jan. 3, 2016, photo, a man makes a snowman on the lawn at a house along a street in Westland, Calif.
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
LOS ANGELES – Heavy rain fell last weekend on some Southern California beaches and in the Valley, with forecasters predicting the high-pressure system that has driven rain and snow along the West Coast could continue through Wednesday before beginning to wane.
The system, dubbed the El Niño of 2015, has been responsible for a drought across much of California and prompted the firestorm that shut down parts of the region for weeks.
On Saturday morning, Southern California was swarmed by showers that dropped up to 18 inches (46 centimeters) of rain in some locations and the low-pressure system stalled just south of the Los Angeles area and the Ventura River.
Some of the heavy precipitation fell on Los Angeles County, where the city recorded more than 7 inches (17 centimeters) of rain in four hours. San Diego, near the mouth of the Pacific Ocean off of San Francisco, reported nearly 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain in a 24-hour period, a new record.
On Sunday, the dry conditions persisted but the rain began to taper off late in the day. In Ventura County, the rain-delayed high reached 84 degrees (27 Celsius).
Forecasters said the system will probably slow down, with temperatures rising into the lower 80s Celsius (176 Fahrenheit). That should happen in the next couple of days, they said.
“The rain is already tiring out. It’s coming to an end,” said meteorologist Steve Sisolak, chief of the National Weather Service’s Pacific Northwest office.
The rains will have made for great hiking and road conditions on Saturday, he said. “The roads are not slick and it’s an excellent hiking weather day.”
The rain was expected to remain steady through at least Monday in Southern California. But forecasters said the