Calm weather on Sunday

(Sailing the waters of Santa Monica Bay)

Mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies expected for New Year's Eve Day.

Light and variable winds under 10 mph.

Afternoon high temperatures across the southland...
middle to upper 60s downtown L.A. & inland OC....
lower 60s at the beaches...
upper 60s to the middle 70s in the valleys.

Have a safe New Year's Eve!

Calm Saturday

(Avalon, Catalina Island)

Sunny skies, mild temperatures with light and variable winds expected across the southland on Saturday.

Some predicted high temperatures for Saturday...

Beaches: 60s
Downtown Los Angeles/Inland O.C.: lower 70s
The Valleys: upper 60s to the middle 70s

Winds will slowly diminish Friday

(Lenticular Clouds - Dec. 28th, 2006)

The strong winds that have produce damage and have been responsible for numerous power outages...will begin diminish some throughout the day on Friday.

All of the wind warnings and advisories are set to expire at midday in Ventura and Los Angeles counties...and at 2:00pm in Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Updates on the strong winds at...
Southland Weather.

Very strong winds...

(Sunset - - December 25th, 2006)

Potentially damaging winds will blow across the southland through Friday.

In some cases winds may reach 100 mph...especially through and just below passes and canyons of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains.

Strong winds will also blow down to the coastal areas. Winds may reach 50 to 60 mph at times in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and Orange counties today.

In the Santa Monica Mountains, Malibu and Hollywood Hills... gusts to 65 mph are possible.

Winds will begin to diminish in some areas tonight and Friday.

Frequent Updates at...
Southland WX.

Wet and windy Wednesday

(Southern California Doppler Radar Imagery)

A fast-moving storm system is moving through southern California today.

This storm system will bring a period of 3 to 6 hours of moderate showers early this morning over Los Angeles county then will move across Orange, San Bernardino, Riveside and San Diego counties for the remainder of the day.

Most areas will recieve a quarter of an inch to one half inch.
Some localized three quarter inch amounts possible along favored foothills and mountain slopes.

Snow showers are possible over the mountains of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties today.

Accumulations will be on the light side...generally in the 1 to 3 inch amounts over the San Gabriels and under an inch in the San Bernardino's.

But the strong winds and high surf will likely end up being the big story .
Winds will be on the increase this afternoon and will get quite strong tonight through Friday morning.

Gusts in some canyons and passes may reach 80 mph.

Gusty winds will also be felt all away down to the coast...especially Los Angeles and Ventura counties tonight and Thursday morning.

In the Santa Monica Mountains, Hollywood Hills and Malibu Hills... gusts to 60 mph are a possibility tonight and tomorrow morning.

High swells exceeding 10 feet are possible along west facing beaches along much of the coastline today and tonight. Swells to 12 feet are possible along the San Diego and Orange county coasts.

With the high swells will come the likelyhood of rip currents.

Continuous updates on the storm system at...
Southland Weather.

Rain and wind on the way...

(Whispy clouds at sunset - Dec. 24th, 2006)

A fairly intense Pacific storm will bring strong winds and widespread shower activity to the southland beginning this evening over Santa Barbara and Ventura counties...then spread across the remainder of southern California early Wednesday morning.

The NWS in Oxnard has issued a Flash Flood Watch late tonight through most of Wednesday over the recent burn areas of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

Rainfall amounts will range from a third of an inch to one half inch for most coastal and valley portions Wednesday.

Locally higher amounts possible along foothills and mountain slopes.

Strong and gusty winds will blow beginning early Wednesday. The strongest winds will through and below passes and canyons of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

In these areas winds may exceed 60 mph at times.

High surf and rip currents are possible along most beaches and coastal waters of southern California.

It is strongly advised to remain onshore during these conditions.

Continuous updates on the pending storm at...
Southland Weather.

Christmas in southern California

Partly cloudy and mild conditions expected for Christmas day in southern California.

Afternoon temperatures will reach into the 70s out in the valleys...
middle 70s Downtown Los Angeles...and in the
middle 60s to the lower 70s at the coast.

Winds will be light (under 10 mph) in most areas.


Large swells will return to the coastal waters by mid-week.
So... stay tuned!

Mild Christmas Eve for the southland

Mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies and mild conditions expected across southern California for Christmas Eve Day.

Afternoon temperatures will range from the upper 60s to the 70s in the valley areas...
middle 70s downtown Los Angeles and in the middle 60s to near 70 at the beaches.

The winds will be light...except locally breezy conditions can be expected in favored passes and canyons...such the Santa Monica Mountains and Hollywood Hills.

The winds are howling

(Sunset - Thursday, Dec. 21st, 2006)

The strong and gusts winds that were responsible for scattered power outages across the southland on Friday will likely continue through most of Saturday before diminishing by late in the day.

The strongest winds will occur through and just below passes and canyons of Los Angeles...Ventura counties...in the valleys of the Inland Empire and over Santa Ana mountains.

Winds in these areas may reach 60 mph at times...especially just after sunrise through late in the morning Saturday.

Some Freeways that will likely be effected by the strong and gusty winds are...
...The 5 FWY through and just below the Grapevine...
...The 14 FWY from Santa Clarita to just south of Palmdale...
...The 91 FWY through the Santa Ana Canyon...
...The 15 FWY through and just below the Cajon Pass...
...The 10 FWY through and just below the Banning Pass.

Light weight or high profile vehicles will be most effected by the high winds.

Continuous updates on the winds at...
Southland WX.

Friday's weather hazards

Gusty winds may exceed 40 mph today in the following areas...
...The south coast of Santa Barbara county...The mountains of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties.


Additionally...
High surf along the coastal waters of northern/central Santa Barbara county, Ventura, Los Angeles and San Diego counties today.

Finally...
High risk of rip currents along all beaches...except for the south coast of Santa Barbara county today.


Complete updates on the above mentioned hazards as always at...
Southland WX.

Another Wind Event on the Way

(Hollywood Hills)

Strong and gusty northerly winds will develop through and below passes and canyons...beginning late Thursday night and will likely continue through Saturday morning.

It is possible that some gusts may exceed 60 mph especially over the mountains of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

This will make for hazardous driving conditions on the 5 and 14 Freeways over northern Los Angeles county.

Elsewhere... breezy to windy conditions will be felt Friday into Saturday over most coastal and valley sections. Gusts to 35 or higher are possible.

Areas of such as the Hollywood Hills, Santa Monica Mountains and the Chino Hills may see gusts exceeding 40 mph at times.

Continuous updates on this upcoming wind event at...
Southland WX.

Cold and frost mornings

(Light snow/flurries - Tuesday morning in the eastern Mojave)

The cold nights and mornings across the southland will continue through at least Thursday morning.

Temperatures will likely dip below freezing over some coastal locations...mainly Santa Barbara, Ventura, Orange and San Diego counties...and the valleys and lower deserts.

Areas of frost...may damage some sensitive plants.

It also advised to keep pets indoors during the late night and early morning hours.

Frosty mornings

(Snow along the shores of Lake Arrowhead)

Besure to protect any sensitive plants and animals the next two mornings...as temperatures are expected to drop below freezing in many valley locations of southern California and along the Ventura and Santa Barbara county coasts.

Areas of frost may damage sensitve plants. So it's strongly advised to either bring plants indoors or cover then up.

Snow on the mountains

(Snow capped desert mountains)

8 to 12" snow fell at the resort levels of the southern California mountains.

This is making for powder conditions at most ski resorts today.

There may be a few snow flurries or light snow showers today over the mountains San Bernardino and Riverside counties...but no accumulation is expected.

Unsettled weather for Sunday

(Doppler Radar Imagery - SoCal Composite)

The storm system will continue to move through the southland Sunday bringing showers and mountain snows to the region.

The highest concentration of showers will be over San Diego County Sunday morning. An additional 0.25" of rain is possible there.

Meanwhile...
The rest of the southland will see isolated to scattered showers this morning...then diminishing areal coverage by early afternoon. Most areas of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties will see amounts ranging from 0.05 to 0.15" today.

It also is possible for some locations to see break in the clouds later this morning and afternoon and see a peak of the sun.

Snow showers will accumulations of 2 to 4" over the mountains of San Diego county through early this afternoon. Elsewhere over the mountains an additional 1 to 3" are possible. Snow showers will also continue to fall at times (mainly in the morning) along the foothills of the Antelope Valley. This may effect driving on the 14 FWY south of Palmdale.

Thunderstorms are possible today over the coastal waters of Orange and San Diego counties. Thunderstorms will have the potential of producing... locally heavy rain showers which may reduce visibilities at times and locally strong gusty winds. Conditions are also favorable for waterspouts.

Continuous weather updates at...
Southland WX.

Wet weekend

(Doppler Radar Imagery - Southern California Composite)

A fairly intense winter storm will bring widespread shower activity to the southland beginning early Saturday afternoon and will continue through late this evening...before diminishing to scattered showers early Sunday morning.

Most coastal and valley locations will recieve around 1/2" of rain. Some favored foothill sections may recieve amounts up to 3/4" or so.

There is a slight chance of thunderstorms late this afternoon and evening over the coastal and valley locations. Some of these storms may produce... locally gusty winds, small hail, locally heavy rainfall and the slight possibility of waterspouts or funnel clouds over the coastal waters this evening.

Snow or snow showers will begin to fall at the 5,500 foot level late this afternoon or early afternoon over the southern Calfornia mountain areas....then lower to around 4,000 feet by late in the day. The lower even more...to around 3,000 to 3,500 by mid-evening.

Total snow accumulations will range from 4 to 6 inches over the Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles County mountains, 1 to 3" over the San Bernardino and Riverside County mountains.

Strong and gusty winds over the mountains combined will produce areas of low visibility in blowing and drifting snow this evening.

Gusty winds are likely over the mountains and deserts from mid morning through late tonight. Gusts ranging from 35 to 45 mph are possible.

Dress warm...if your in the mountain locations. The falling temperatures combined with the wind will make for low wind chill factors.

Continuous updates on the storm at...
Southland WX.

Weekend storm...maybe not as strong as first thought?

(Northeast Pacific - Water Vapor Imagery)

Unsettled weather is still in the forecast for the weekend...as storm system moves into the region.

Rain will likely begin Saturday morning over Santa Barbara county then move into Ventura and Los Angeles counties during the afternoon hours.

By Saturday night... widespread precipitation will fall across all of southern California.

Preliminary rainfall forecasts are indicating around 0.50" for the coastal and valley areas...with favored foothill areas recieving up to 0.75" before ending late Sunday.

Some west facing mountain slopes may recieve over an 1.00".

Snow levels initially on Saturday will range from 5,000 to 7,000' then lowering to 3,000 to 4,000' Saturday night. Some isolated locations (especially during thunderstorm activity) may lower to 2,500' Saturday night.

Moderate snowfall accumulations (3 to 7") are expected.

During the Saturday night... there will be a slight chance of thunderstorms. Some of these thunderstorms may produce... locally gusty winds, small hail (pea size or less), locally heavy rains and lightning strikes. There is also the possibility of funnel clouds or waterspouts over the coastal areas.

High swells and high risk of rip currents will continue through early next week over the coastal waters.

Complete updates on the pending storm at...
Southland WX.

Big storm this weekend

(Infrared Satellite Imagery)

A strong storm system in the northern Pacific is still scheduled to bring widespread precipitation, gusty winds and mountain snows to the southland beginning Friday night and continuing through much of the weekend.

The period the heaviest precipitation should occur Saturday afternoon through late Saturday evening.

At this time...computer models are still somewhat up in the air on rainfall totals...but most coastal and valley areas should recieve at least 1" of rain by Sunday afternoon.

Additionally... snow fall over the mountains of southern California...with snow level lowering to 3,000 feet or possible even a bit lower Saturday evening through Sunday.

Finally... cold/unstable air associated with the trough...will likely spark thunderstorms Saturday night.

These storms will have the potential of producing... gusty winds, small hail, heavy rains and the possibility of waterspouts or funnel clouds.

Updated information at...
Southland WX.

Big Storm on the way for the weekend

(Water Vapor Image)

The first major winter storm system is expected to impact southern California's weather this weekend.

This storm has the potential of producing periods of moderate to locally heavy rainfall over the coastal and valley areas...and snow down to the lower elevations of the mountains. Possibly as low as 2,000 to 3,000 feet. in the Ventura and Los Angeles county mountains.

Additionally... Cold/unstable air associated with the storm system will have the potential of producing thunderstorms over the coastal plain and waters. These storms may produce... strong and gusty winds, small hail and waterspouts over the coastal waters.

Finally... Another round of high swells will pound southern California beaches. These conditions will also produce high risk of rip currents.

Continue to check back here or at Southland Weather for further information on the storm system.

Troubles at the beaches

(Pismo Beach)

Problems the central and southern California beaches...

...First... due to last weekend's rains...high bacteria levels have been recorded at several beaches.
It is highly recommended that you stay out the waters until water quality levels improve.

...Secondly... high surf and high risk of rip currents will continue through mid-week along all beaches of southern and central California.
The highest surd will occur about every 15 seconds or so...along west/northwest facing beaches.

Rough seas to continue

High swells will continue to pound southland beaches through at least Tuesday.

Swells may exceed 8 feet or so on northwest facing beaches every 12 to 13 seconds.

It is strongly advised to stay out of the water through at least Tuesday.



Also...
The NEW 2007 Sky Scene Calendars are available at Southland Weather.

Showery Sunday

Rainfall amounts varied across the southland (as indicated in the graphic above) during late Saturday and early Sunday.

Bands of light to occasional moderate rain showers will track west to east across southern california during the day Sunday.

Most areas will pick up an additional tenth of an inch...with some areas (mainly mountain locations) recieving a quarter of an inch.

High NW swells will continue to impact the beaches Sunday.

Yesterday... several rescues took place around the Hersmosa Beach area.

It is strongly advised to stay out of the water!

An unsettled weekend

Scattered light rain showers are expected to move across parts of the southland...beginning today over parts of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties...then moving into Los Angeles county later this afternoon.

Rain showers (mainly light) will be possible across much of the southland tonight.
Best chance for rain showers in Los Angeles will be from early this evening until just after midnight.

Most areas will see rainfall amounts around a tenth of an inch. But some isolated areas may see 0.20".

The other story is the high swells that will be effecting the beaches.

Some of the swells may exceed 10 feet or so (especially west/northwest facing beaches).

These swells combined with rip currents will make for dangerous conditions for surfers and swimmers.

Increasing swells and threat of rip currents

A large storm system in the Gulf of Alaska will be responsible for increasing swells along with an increasing threat of rip currents along the coastal waters of southern/central California through early next week.

Some favored beaches may see swells as high as 11 feet this weekend.

It is STRONGLY advised that swimmers and surfers stay out of the water through early next week.

Quiet weather...for now

(West Coast Water Vapor Imagery)

All is quiet for now here in southern California.

For Thursday... expect morning coastal low clouds and fog...otherwise mostly sunny skies .

Daytime temperatures will reach into the 70s for downtown Los Angeles and Inland Orange County.
...middle 70s to the lower 80s in the valleys,
...and in the 60s at the beaches.

Light winds under 10 mph...except for areas through and just below passes and canyons where wind gusts to 20 to 25 mph are possible during the morning hours.

Friday through Sunday Night...
...The first of two disturbances (currently in the eastern Pacific) will bring a small chance (20 to 30% probability) to the region beginning Friday afternoon through Saturday morning.

Most areas will likely not see a drop of rain...as the airmass is still quite dry.

But...the second storm system that will move through Saturday night through Sunday evening...should have a little more moisture associated with it and in return should bring a least scattered showers to the area.

Most areas though will only recieve a tenth of an inch or less.

Pattern change

(Satellite Image - Fog channel)

Finally... pattern change for southern California!

The winds have shifted to an onshore flow Wednesday morning along the coastal portions of Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego Counties.

Patchy dense fog have been reported as of 3:00am Wednesday in Long Beach and Fullerton.

The marine layer will burn off by 9:00am but... will return Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

It wont be until late Thursday night and Friday morning before the low clouds and fog will reach into the valleys.

Still some conflicts in the computer model whats going to happen this weekend with the pacific storm system.

The models are suggesting that most of the rain shower activity will remain over the northern portions of southern California (Santa Barbara County).

Meanwhile the rest of the southland will only see a few light rain showers Saturday night through Sunday evening.

Fire threat easing some

(Satellite Image of Brush Fire - Sunday, Dec. 3rd, 2006)
Courtesy: NASA

Red Flag Warnings continue through Tuesday afternoon for much of southern California.

The good news is that that strong winds that have been blowing across the region have diminished greatly.

Still some gusts to 25 mph are possible through Tuesday morning...through and just below canyons and passes.

There is the possibility of another minor off-shore wind event Wednesday night and Thursday morning...but...should not be anywhere close the previous event.

Looking ahead...
There is some question if the southland will see any rain showers from the system this weekend.

Right now... models are indicating most of the showers will be over central California reaching as far south as Point Conception.

Dangerous fire conditions

Dangerously windy and dry conditions will continue across southern California through Tuesday afternoon.

Gusty winds (to around 50 mph) combined with very low relative humidities will make for riped conditions for brushfires.

Looking ahead...
There is possibility of a trough of low pressure to move into the west coast by this weekend.
The will have the potential of producing showers across the southland.

For updates on the fire situation in SoCal
Visit... Southland Weather.

Red Flag Fire Warnings Continues

(San Fernando Valley)

Red Flag Fire Warnings are now in effect through Thursday afternoon for much of the southland and the off-shore flow continues.

Gusty winds combined with low relative humidities will make for very critical fire conditions.

Relative humidities on Sunday will decrease to the lower to middle 10s in many areas of southern California.

Winds may exceed 50 mph (especially during the morning hours) on Sunday...through and just below passes and canyons.

Complete coverage on the red flag conditions at...
Southland Weather.

Windy through the weekend

Another round of strong and gusty winds are on tap for this weekend.

Winds may exceed 55 mph...especially through and below passes and canyons.

Unlike the previous wind event...temperatures will be quite a bit warmer with this one.

Temperatures in the 70s inland areas and middle to upper 60s at the beaches.

Reminder... Red Flag Fire Warnings are in effect this weekend for the valleys and mountains.


Keep up-to-date on this situation at...
Southland WX.

Not as cold on Friday

Warmer temperatures expected across southern California during Friday.

Temperatures will reach into the lower to middle 70s downtown L.A.
70s in the valleys and in the 60s at the beaches.

Winds will be light...except 10 to 25 mph through and just below canyons and passes.

Gusty winds will likely return during the weekend.