SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA
330 PM PST FRI MAR 31 2006
CAZ034>041-044>047-051>054-059-087-088-011400-
ANTELOPE VALLEY-CATALINA ISLAND-CUYAMA VALLEY-
LOS ANGELES COUNTY COAST INCLUDING DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES-
LOS ANGELES COUNTY MOUNTAINS EXCLUDING THE SANTA MONICA RANGE-
LOS ANGELES COUNTY VALLEYS-SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY CENTRAL COAST-
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY INTERIOR VALLEYS-
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-SANTA BARBARA COUNTY CENTRAL COAST-
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY MOUNTAINS-SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SOUTH COAST-
SANTA CLARITA VALLEY-SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS RECREATIONAL AREA-
SANTA YNEZ VALLEY-VENTURA COUNTY COAST-VENTURA COUNTY COASTAL VALLEYS-
VENTURA COUNTY INTERIOR VALLEYS-VENTURA COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
330 PM PST FRI MAR 31 2006
...TWO STORM SYSTEMS TO AFFECT SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA THROUGH TUESDAY
NIGHT..
THE FIRST STORM WILL BRING LIGHT TO MODERATE RAINFALL TO THE REGION
TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. WHILE SCATTERED LIGHT SHOWERS
MAY DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT...THE STEADIER RAINFALL IS
EXPECTED TO AFFECT SAN LUIS OBISPO AND SANTA BARBARA COUNTIES
TONIGHT...SPREADING ACROSS VENTURA AND LOS ANGELES COUNTIES LATE
TONIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WITH THIS FIRST
SYSTEM ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE BETWEEN ONE TENTH AND ONE HALF INCH
ACROSS COASTAL AND VALLEY AREAS...WITH ONE QUARTER TO ONE INCH
ACROSS FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS. HIGHEST RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED
ON SOUTH FACING MOUNTAIN SLOPES. THE SNOW LEVEL IS EXPECTED TO BE
AROUND 5000 FEET...WITH UP TO 4 INCHES OF NEW SNOW EXPECTED THROUGH
SATURDAY MORNING.
A SECOND AND MORE POWERFUL SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO AFFECT SOUTHWEST
CALIFORNIA SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. A STRONG AND COLD
UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OFF THE
OREGON COAST SUNDAY EVENING...THEN TRACK SOUTHEASTWARD DOWN THE
CALIFORNIA COAST...EVENTUALLY BEING CENTERED NEAR POINT CONCEPTION
BY TUESDAY MORNING. THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO TAP INTO SOME
SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE AND WILL BE FUELED BY A POWERFUL JET STREAM.
RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN SOMETIME SUNDAY NIGHT ACROSS THE
CENTRAL COAST...THEN SPREAD SOUTH AND EAST ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
ON MONDAY. AS THE COLD UPPER LEVEL LOW CENTER APPROACHES THE COAST..
THERE WILL BE INCREASING INSTABILITY WHICH WILL BRING THE THREAT
OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY TO THE REGION. THIS PATTERN WILL BE
FAVORABLE FOR PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL...GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL..
WATERSPOUTS AND FUNNEL CLOUDS. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS EVENT
IS STILL A FEW DAYS AWAY...AND A CHANGE IN THE TRACK OF THE UPPER LEVEL
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM COULD DRASTICALLY AFFECT THE FORECAST.
IN ADDITION TO THE STRONG JET DYNAMICS...THE LATEST COMPUTER WEATHER
MODELS ARE SHOWING THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG LOW LEVEL SOUTHERLY WINDS
WHICH WOULD PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT OROGRAPHIC ENHANCEMENT OF RAINFALL
TO SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST FACING MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS. PRELIMINARY
RAINFALL AMOUNTS WITH THIS SECOND STORM ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE BETWEEN
ONE AND TWO INCHES ACROSS COASTAL AND VALLEY AREAS...WITH TWO TO
FOUR INCHES IN THE FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS. THERE IS EVEN THE POTENTIAL
FOR LOCAL AMOUNTS UP TO 5 INCHES ACROSS FAVORED SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST
FACING MOUNTAIN SLOPES. WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINFALL
INTENSITIES...RESIDENTS IN AND AROUND THE BURN AREAS SHOULD MONITOR
THIS STORM CLOSELY...AS FLASH FLOOD WATCHES MAY NEED TO BE POSTED AS
THE EVENT DRAWS CLOSER.
SNOW LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN ABOVE 7000 FEET AT THE ONSET
OF THIS STORM EVENT ON MONDAY...BUT ARE EXPECTED TO LOWER TO BETWEEN
4500 AND 5500 FEET ON MONDAY NIGHT. BY TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT...SNOW
LEVELS COULD FALL AS LOW AS 4000 FEET. THIS EVENT COULD BE A MAJOR
SNOW PRODUCER AT THE HIGHER SKI RESORTS...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR
ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL ACROSS INTERSTATE 5 NEAR THE GRAPEVINE ON
TUESDAY. IN ADDITION TO THE HEAVY SNOWFALL POTENTIAL...MOUNTAIN AREAS
COULD EXPERIENCE POWERFUL WINDS WITH GUSTS OF 50 TO 60 MPH POSSIBLE.
AS A RESULT...A WINTER STORM WATCH MAY NEED TO BE POSTED. WHILE
THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR IN THE MOUNTAINS...GUSTY
SOUTHERLY WINDS MAY REQUIRE WIND ADVISORIES ACROSS SOME OF THE LOWER
ELEVATIONS.
PEOPLE IN SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA...ESPECIALLY THOSE PLANNING
TRAVEL THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN AREAS SHOULD STAY TUNED TO THE LATEST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS AS THESE TWO
PACIFIC STORMS TAKE AIM ON THE REGION.
$$
GOMBERG
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Seems like it never ends around here. Been like this for the past 2-3 weeks at least. But hey, we need it. We are stikll about 4 inches below normal for the season and we will take what we can get.
