Monday storm fizzles out with little to no rain or snow in Southland, with more dry days ahead

While some rain and snow was expected to hit Southern California late Sunday through Monday, very little precipitation materialized after the storm fizzled out as it approached the region.

After heavy rain and snow came down last week — causing icy roads that snarled traffic in the Cajon Pass and Grapevine — the region braced for a second storm to come with more precipitation. But by Monday afternoon, National Weather Service meteorologists said that barely any rain or snow fell and it was expected to stay that way through the night.

“It was mostly (light rain) in the early morning before sunrise and a little bit this morning,” said Joe Sirard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles/Oxnard office. “Just a little this morning, but not much.”

The coastal and valley areas of Los Angeles County saw little to no rain, Sirard said, while the San Gabriel Mountains and some of its foothills saw some moderate precipitation.

And in Orange County, light rain fell in some valley areas, said Casey Oswant, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s San Diego office. There was also a light dusting of snow in the San Bernardino Mountains, she said.

“We have had some white snow,” Oswant said. “But there’s not really been a lot of accumulation.”

There was a chance for scattered rain or snow showers across the region Monday afternoon and into the evening, but the storm was expected to clear up by Tuesday morning, Oswant said.

More dry days, into next week on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, are expected.

In Los Angeles County, the valley and coastal areas through Thursday were expected to be in the 40s to lower 50s at night, with upper 50s to lower 60s during the day, Sirard said. It will heat up more on Friday and into the weekend, he said, with highs in the daytime in the 60s and 70s.

In Orange County and the Inland Empire valley areas, Oswant said, the daytime highs are expected to be in the mid-60s with lows during the night in the mid-to-low 40s. It will also warm up Friday with high temperatures in the day at the mid-to-low 70s and that night with lows in the upper 40s and low 50s, she said.

In the mountain communities, the lows during the night will range from the 20s to mid-30s, with highs in the mid to upper 40s, Oswant said. On Friday, the daytime high could warm up to the 50s with nighttime lows in the 30s, she said.

It will be gusty across the region for the rest of Monday into Tuesday, with several wind advisories in the San Fernando Valley and mountain areas or passes in San Bernardino County.

On the coast, west-facing beaches could see high surf within the 7-to-8 feet range on Wednesday and Thursday, Sirard said.