Rain, Mountain Snow Shifts to SoCal Today

It's not uncommon for major highways in Los Angeles to resemble this during a rainstorm, as was the case on Oct. 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

By Bill Deger, Meteorologist

Mar 25, 2012; 7:09 AM ET

A cold Pacific storm edging closer to the coast today could mean a travel nightmare to end the weekend in the Golden State.
Drenching rain, feet of mountain snow, damaging wind gusts and even some small hail will impact Southern California today.
Longtime residents are familiar with such impacts from a late-winter storm, but that shouldn't take away from the potential dangers facing travelers.
Up to an inch of rain will fall through tonight across coastal and valley locations near the greater Los Angeles area. Heavier amounts will occur in upslope locations in nearby foothills, while lighter totals can be expected to the south in San Diego.
With rain expected to fall heavy at times, urbanized flooding will be an issue in some areas, increasing the risk of hydroplaning.
Due to a large difference in temperature between the ground and high up in the atmosphere, a few thunderstorms cannot be ruled out, especially this afternoon and evening.

As is typically the case with weather systems like this, some of the storms will likely produce small hail and could even spin up waterspouts off the coast.
In the colder mountains nearby, snow will be the big story, much to the delight of late-season skiers and snowboarders. More than a foot of the white stuff is expected to accumulate by early on Monday above 5,000 feet, with locally 2 feet at elevations greater than 6,000 feet.
Heavy snow totals will extend north along the Sierra Nevada range, as well.
As Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski points out, this is the second storm to bring heavy snow to the California mountains in about a weeks' time.
As colder air filters south across the state, snow levels will fall tonight, enough to even bring some light snow to the Grapevine. This could result in slippery travel along I-5 for Monday morning's commute.

Though the rain and snow won't reach into much of the interior Southwest, strong winds will whip the region beginning this afternoon. Areas at risk for localized wind damage include the deserts and plateau of northwestern Arizona, the Great Basin of Nevada, as well as the Morongo and Yucca Valleys and the Inland Empire of California.
Gusty winds will also buffet coastal Southern California and the Santa Ana Mountains, making driving in larger, high-profile vehicles difficult at times.

While the dreary weather from this storm will be confined to the Southwest, racing fans across the country will feel the effects.
The NASCAR race scheduled to run this afternoon in Fontana will likely be impacted by rain, just weeks after the first ever postponement of the sport's premier race, the Daytona 500.

Rain, Mountain Snow Shifts to SoCal Today