201901.29
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Rain, cooling expected in Southern California

by in News

Rain and chillier temperatures will pass through Southern California this week.

High temperatures will drop in the region from the low 70s on Tuesday to the low 60s on Thursday, according to forecasts from the National Weather Service. They NWS reported a chance for showers beginning Wednesday evening that may persist through the weekend. Rainfall becomes more likely going into Thursday and Friday in Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.

Residents in urban areas of those four counties can expect between .75 to 1.5 inches of rainfall on Friday, while mountain regions should see between 2 and 4 inches, according to NWS meteorologist Bruno Rodriguez. He said higher elevations are also likely to receive 3 to 6 inches of fresh snow forming at altitudes as low as 6,000 feet by Saturday.

The coming storms could mean dangerous driving conditions resulting in increased commute times and traffic collisions this week, according to a NWS Los Angeles tweet. The agency advised motorists to be on the lookout for downed trees and debris flows on streets and highways, as well as possible rocks slides on canyon roadways.

No flood advisories had been issued  through Tuesday afternoon, but people living in the Holy fire and Cranston fire burn scars were advised to prepare themselves in case the threat of flash flooding prompts officials to order evacuations.

This week’s cooler weather is largely consistent with what Southern Californians typically deal with this time of year, Rodriguez said. He said chilling will be more pronounced on Friday in Orange County and mountainous Inland regions, where temperatures may be between 10 to 15 degrees colder than average. A slight warming will occur on Saturday before high temperatures fall back to the upper 50s and low 60s on Monday, according to NWS forecasts.

The drop in temperatures expected for Southern California this week is nothing compared to near-record lows predicted to hit the Midwest, according to Rodriguez. A Polar Vortex pushing a jet stream of cold air from the Arctic Circle into the U.S. prompted officials and meteorologists to issue windchill advisories in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and other areas. For instance, the air will feel as cold as -51 degrees in Chicago on Wednesday, according to forecasts.

“In that sort of weather, frostbite and hypothermia become huge risks,” said Rodriguez. “Even just a few seconds of exposure to the skin is nothing to be taken lightly.”

Municipal and nonprofit organizations have been scrambling to keep people out of the cold overnight and into shelters until the jet stream hammering a large portion of the nation passes. As it continues to move east toward the Atlantic Ocean, it is likely to drag a cooler system over the West Coast in its wake, contributing to further cooling in Southern California going into next week, according to Rodriguez.