AFTER ALMOST TWO WEEKS OF EXTREMELY WARM AND DRY WEATHER…RAIN IS EXPECTED TO RETURN TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. A PACIFIC STORM LOCATED TO THE SOUTHWEST IS FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA ON THURSDAY. SATELLITE IMAGERY SUGGESTS THAT THIS STORM IS PULLING UP SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE FROM THE SOUTH. CURRENTLY…NORTHERN ORANGE COUNTY AND EXTREME WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES APPEAR TO HAVE THE BEST CHANCE OF RECEIVING THE HEAVIEST RAIN FROM THIS SYSTEM…WITH LESSER AMOUNTS OF RAIN LIKELY TO THE SOUTH AND EAST. RAIN SHOULD ARRIVE ALONG THE ORANGE COUNTY COAST BY THURSDAY MORNING…AND THEN SLOWLY SPREAD INTO THE INLAND EMPIRE AND SAN DIEGO COUNTY THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. INTERMITTENT SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO BE POSSIBLE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING AS THE STORM SLOWLY EXITS THE REGION.
THE SNOW LEVEL IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN QUITE HIGH…STAYING ABOVE RESORT LEVELS FOR NEARLY THE ENTIRE DURATION OF THE STORM.
RAINFALL TOTALS WILL BE HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON THE AMOUNT OF SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE THAT IS DRAWN UP AS WELL AS HOW QUICKLY THE LOW LEVELS MOISTEN UP AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM. AS OF 8 PM WEDNESDAY…THE ATMOSPHERE BELOW 6500 FEET WAS STILL EXTREMELY DRY…AND THIS COULD DELAY THE ONSET OF THE HEAVIER RAIN AND RESULT IN SLIGHTLY LOWER RAINFALL TOTALS. CURRENT ESTIMATES OF STORM RAINFALL TOTALS THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING ARE FOR ABOUT AN INCH IN ORANGE COUNTY…HALF INCH TO THREE QUARTERS INCH IN THE INLAND EMPIRE AND NORTH SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS…AND ONE QUARTER TO HALF AN INCH IN THE SOUTHERN SAN DIEGO COAST AND VALLEYS. RAINFALL COULD BE ENHANCED ON SOUTHWEST FACING SLOPES…ESPECIALLY IN THE WESTERN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS NEAR LYTLE CREEK WHERE 2 OR 3 INCHES OF RAIN ARE POSSIBLE DUE TO OROGRAPHIC LIFT.
