National Weather Service is raising the alarms. The bullet: expect heavy rains this weekend, starting tomorrow afternoon, possibility of flash flooding, mudslides in the burn areas, snow as low as 3,000 ft., and up to 5 inches (yes, you heard us correctly) of rain in our area. Details as only the government can give it after the jump:
...A SERIES OF STORM SYSTEMS WILL AFFECT SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA
INTO NEXT WEEK...
ON FRIDAY...THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF STORMS WILL SPREAD RAIN INTO
SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA. RAIN IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ACROSS THE
CENTRAL COAST FRIDAY MORNING...WITH RAIN REACHING LOS ANGELES COUNTY
BY LATE AFTERNOON OR EVENING. BEHIND THE FRONT...THERE WILL BE
SCATTERED SHOWERS WITH GUSTY WEST WINDS ON FRIDAY NIGHT.
THIS FIRST SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE A 3 TO 5 HOUR BURST OF
MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN ASSOCIATED WITH A FAST MOVING COLD
FRONT. THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE FRIDAY
AFTERNOON INTO EVENING...WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS
ACROSS VENTURA AND LOS ANGELES COUNTIES. DUE TO THE COLD AIR IN
THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE...THERE WILL ALSO BE A THREAT OF SMALL HAIL.
RAINFALL RATES ARE GENERALLY EXPECTED TO RANGE BETWEEN ONE QUARTER
AND ONE THIRD OF AN INCH PER HOUR...BUT COULD SEE LOCAL RAINFALL
RATES AS HIGH AS ONE HALF INCH PER HOUR IF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP.
AS A RESULT...THERE WILL BE THE THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCAL ROADWAY
FLOODING...AS WELL AS MINOR MUD AND DEBRIS NEAR RECENT BURN AREAS.
THIS STORM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE BETWEEN ONE HALF TO ONE INCH OF RAIN
IN COASTAL AND VALLEY LOCATIONS...WITH UP TO ONE AND ONE HALF
INCHES IN THE FOOTHILLS AND LOWER MOUNTAINS. SOUTH FACING SLOPES
ARE EXPECTED TO RECEIVE HIGHEST RAINFALL TOTALS. THE SNOW LEVEL IS
GENERALLY EXPECTED TO RANGE BETWEEN 3500 AND 4000 FEET WITH THIS
SYSTEM...BUT COULD FALL AS LOW AS 3000 FEET NEAR HEAVIER SHOWERS
OR THUNDERSTORMS. THE LOW SNOW LEVELS WILL LIKELY IMPACT THE
INTERSTATE 5 CORRIDOR NEAR THE GRAPEVINE...AND POSSIBLY HIGHER
PORTIONS OF HIGHWAY 14 THROUGH THE SOLEDAD PASS. A WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED WITH THIS STORM...WITH 4 TO 8
INCHES OF ACCUMULATION EXPECTED ABOVE 4000 FEET.
THE ATMOSPHERE WILL REMAIN MOIST IN THE WAKE OF FRIDAYS STORM...SO
AT LEAST SCATTERED SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL LINGER ACROSS THE REGION
SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT...MAINLY NORTH OF POINT CONCEPTION.
A MUCH STRONGER AND WETTER STORM SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO AFFECT THE
REGION BEGINNING EITHER LATE SATURDAY NIGHT OR EARLY SUNDAY MORNING
AND CONTINUING INTO MONDAY MORNING. THIS SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO
BE A MAJOR WINTER STORM FOR SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA...BRINGING
WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINS AND MOUNTAIN SNOWS...ALONG WITH THE POSSIBILITY
OF THUNDERSTORMS. IT IS STILL A BIT EARLY TO GET VERY PRECISE
WITH RAINFALL ESTIMATES...BUT THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR 1 TO 3
INCHES ACROSS THE COASTS AND VALLEYS WITH 2 TO 5 INCHES IN THE
FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS. IF SOUTH FLOW SETS UP AHEAD OF THE FRONT
LOCALLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE SOUTH FACING
COASTAL SLOPES. TWO TO THREE FEET OF SNOW WITH STRONG SOUTHERLY
WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS SYSTEM...BRINGING THE POTENTIAL
FOR DANGEROUS WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS AT THE HIGHER MOUNTAIN
ELEVATIONS. GIVEN THE RECENT RAINS AND SATURATED SOILS...A STORM
SYSTEM OF THIS MAGNITUDE WOULD BRING A RISK OF FLASH
FLOODING...POSSIBLY EVEN TO NON BURN AREAS. HOWEVER...IT IS STILL
SEVERAL DAYS AWAY...AND ITS TRACK AND INTENSITY ARE NOT CERTAIN BY
ANY MEANS.
COMPUTER MODELS ARE INDICATING THAT ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM MAY
AFFECT THE REGION AFTER MONDAY. HOWEVER...IT NOW APPEARS THAT THIS
SYSTEM WILL BE CONSIDERABLY WEAKER THAN THE WEEKEND STORM.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET
FOR THE LATEST UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
