Southern California expecting wettest storm of 2020
For Southern Californians, 2020 began with a dry spell as rain was scant in January and February.
That is expected to change this week with a storm barreling into the region from the Gulf of Alaska, which may prove to be the wettest of 2020, weather experts said.
The Los Angeles County area is expected to receive the heaviest rainfall with 1 to 3 inches from Monday into Wednesday, said Cathy Hoxsie, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Oxnard/Los Angeles office.
Orange County and the Inland Empire may see about 1 to 1 1/4 inches of rain.
A dry 2020
The rain is a welcomed refresher to buck a dry trend in 2020.
“So the season began wet,” said Hoxsie, referring to the nearly 7 inches of rain that poured in November and December 2019. “But it became very dry once we passed January 1st.”
And when compared to the early months of 2019, the region is parched.
By this time last year, more than 11 inches of rain had drenched Southern California, Hoxsie said, referring to measurements recorded from downtown Los Angeles. This year, the Los Angeles area has received less than 1 inch of rain.
Possible thunderstorms
The storm’s most intense rainfall is expected Tuesday morning to Wednesday morning.
However, some areas throughout the region may get more rainfall than others. That all depends on whether thunderstorms will form over specific areas, causing heavy downpours for longer periods of time in those spots, said Casey Oswant, meteorologist with the NWS San Diego office.
Also, the wind direction is key. If the winds push the clouds up against the mountains, those areas may receive heavy amounts of rainfall.
Hoxsie likened it to squeezing a sponge, releasing some extra water as the storm clouds make their way up the mountains.
Though the storm is blowing in from the north, overall the storm is quite warm, Oswant said. Temperatures are not expected to fall lower than the 60s this week and will rise into the early 70s by Thursday.
Because of the warmer temperatures, snow is not expected in areas lower than 7,000 feet elevation, Hoxsie said.