There is no snow in the forecast for Southern California this holiday season, but residents can expect heavy rain, flooding on roadways and creeks, and thunderstorms as a slow-moving winter storm system lingers over the region through Friday.
Forecasts show that Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be warmer and dry.
A tightly-wound and well-defined low-pressure storm system about 300 miles off the coast of the San Francisco Bay Area is slowing making its way south, according to the National Weather Service.
Typically, winter storm systems are propelled by the Pacific jet stream, meteorologist Ryan Kittell from the National Weather Service in Oxnard said. But this holiday low-pressure system is cut off from the stream and merely wobbling its way toward Southern California in a cyclonic flow.
The National Weather Service issued a special marine weather warning for the Central Coast on Wednesday morning due to the potential for water spouts and strong winds. There is a slight chance that the current conditions will cause a tornado or water spout to form in the area between Point Conception in Santa Barbara County and Los Angeles County, according to the forecast.
There is a flood watch in effect for the next two days for most of Southern California. Residents in San Luis Obispo, Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties should be on the lookout for debris flows, flash flooding, general flooding and overflowing rivers, the National Weather Service said.
Areas along the Santa Ynez and Santa Monica coastal ranges near isolated thunderstorms could see rainfall rates of an inch an hour Wednesday and Thursday. Other areas could expect to see 0.30 to 0.60 of an inch of rain per hour.
“It’s not a typical or classic winter storm that would drop rain for a few hours and then move along,” Kittell said.
The brunt of the storm is forecast to hit San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, according to the National Weather Service. Los Angeles County will also see heavy rainfall, but forecasters are a bit uncertain if the area will get the same drenching as is expected for the counties further north and west.
The storm is expected to bring flooding for most of the region through Thursday, according to the National Weather Service, which cautioned drivers to avoid driving on roads that appear to be under water.
“Rain may be locally heavy at times, & numerous floods are likely,” the National Weather Service said in their social media channels. “Flash & urban flooding are expected, & debris/mud flows will be possible. Turn around, don’t drown!”
Southern California residents can expect showers throughout Friday, which will give way to gusty winds on Saturday and slightly warmer temperatures by Sunday, according to the forecast.
The slow-moving storm is also a bit warmer than average, Kittell said, dashing any hopes for snow below the 7,500-foot mark.
“It’s going to be cold, but not terribly cold,” Kittell said.
