A winter storm fueled by an atmospheric river is approaching Southern California, bringing rain, snow and gusty winds to the region for the Thursday morning drive.
Showers will begin to douse parts of Ventura County Wednesday night, then the main rain event will arrive during the early morning hours with some areas forecast to see moderate to heavy rain fall.
Making morning commutes more complicated, rain can possibly cause flooding on streets and freeways, especially those with poor drainage. A flood watch will likely go into effect Thursday morning in the Inland Empire and Orange County areas.
Gusty winds may create dangerous situations as well with a high wind watch that is set to go into effect Wednesday night through Thursday afternoon. Some parts of the Inland Empire and Orange County could see gusts up to 45 mph.
The windy conditions mixed with heavy moisture could lead to tree damage and create hazardous conditions for high-profile vehicles on the road, particularly through the Grapevine.
By Thursday afternoon, the rain system will gradually move out of the region, bringing scatters showers. Friday may see some light showers, but by Saturday, dry but cloudy conditions are forecast for the area.
The total rainfall will be the heaviest in the Santa Monica Mountains and foothill areas with 1 to 3 inches of rain.
For this storm system, the snow levels will fall from 7000 feet to 4000 feet, bringing over a foot of fresh snow to ski resorts. San Bernardino and Riverside County mountains may see 5 to 8 inches of snow while San Gabriel mountains will likely get light snow of 3 inches.
The storm is fueled by an atmospheric river, a long and wide band of moisture in the sky over the ocean that carries water from tropical regions. Atmospheric rivers have contributed to some of the wettest winters on record in California.
The February storms arrive the same week as California’s second manual snowpack survey of the season, which showed conditions remain far below normal. Statewide mountain snowpack, a key factor in drought conditions in California, was just over half the normal average for this time of year.
The state remained drought-free in the U.S. Drought Monitor Report released last week.
