A Saturday of rain for Southern California
A cold front will bring showers and temperatures in the 60s, breaking the grip of record Los Angeles heat. Lake Tahoe could see snow.
After a week that included record-breaking high temperatures, Southern Californians are bracing for the first cold snap of the season, with rain forecast for much of Saturday.
The cold front, moving down from the Pacific Northwest, is expected to result in less than one-tenth of an inch of rain through much of the region, said Jamie Meier, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
But Californians can expect the season's first snow - possibly three to six inches - in the Lake Tahoe area.
On Wednesday, the Westside experienced record-high temperatures when the mercury hit 98 degrees at UCLA, breaking a 1991 record of 94 degrees. Downtown Los Angeles hit 100 the same day, tying a 1991 record.
But today is expected to cool off, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the 60s and 70s as the cold front moves in.
"We're going to hit the tail end of it," Meier said.
Most of the rain will be in Oregon and Northern California. By Saturday morning, showers are expected to begin in the Los Angeles area, lasting through the afternoon, Meier said.
As of this morning the storm was centered off the coast of Washington and was expected to sweep through the Pacific Northwest this afternoon and evening before making its way south overnight, Meier said.
On Saturday, temperatures are expected to dip into the 60s at the beaches and into the valleys, about 15 degrees below normal, Meier said.
"Rain is the great moderator," Meier said. "When you've got clouds everywhere like that, it really kind of keeps things the same no matter where you go."
Temperatures are expected to gradually rise Sunday and to return to the 80s in most of Southern California by Tuesday.
"No mudslide threat, no snow threat down here," Meier said. "I wish I could say more, but it's not going to be a real exciting storm down here. The exciting thing will be just the ability to turn off the air-conditioning units."
tami.abdollah@latimes.com
