Weather officials are advising that “cool and unsettled” weather will be hovering over Southern California this weekend and into midweek as an atmospheric river pushes rain into the region.
According to the National Weather Service, powerful mid-latitude cyclones rotating in the Pacific Northwest will transport moisture to the region via multiple storm systems.
“The first period of rain will last through Saturday,” NWS said in their area forecast discussion. “The second event will start Sunday and will extend through at least Tuesday.”
More than half an inch of rain may fall in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties through Saturday evening, the National Weather Service said. Further south, L.A. and Ventura counties will see as much as a third of an inch in that same period.
KTLA 5’s Gene Kang was in Ventura County on Saturday morning at Fire Station 55 in Camarillo, where crews had begun filling sandbags ahead of the pair of storms as a precaution, especially for residents who live in areas prone to post-fire debris flows following the Mountain Fire.
The first storm slammed Northern California on Friday, eliciting Flash Flood Warnings and causing a river in Sonoma County to nearly overflow.
A firefighter evaluates a mudslide as heavy rains fall near Healdsburg in unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
A pedestrian walks along a flooded street during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Santa Rosa, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) 
Residents survey a flooded road as heavy rains continue in Windsor, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Fortunately, it seems that the weather pattern will “lose some steam” as it makes its way into SoCal, KTLA 5 meteorologist Kacey Montoya says.
“The storm moves into our area today, but it does lose some steam by the time it gets here…not everyone will see rain but there’s a good shot a lot of us will see some light shower activity as we head into the afternoon,” Montoya said. “The real severe weather that hit Northern California, we’re just getting the remnants of that.”
“Mid-latitude cyclones will continue to bring more moisture into the region over the next couple of days,” Montoya continued. “So after today’s light showers, we’ll dry out on Sunday, and then we will see some more rain as we head into the first part of next week.”
While most SoCal residents will see rain in the days leading up to Thanksgiving Day, Thursday itself is forecast to be dry, according to meteorologists.
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