An approaching storm system will bring the Southland several hours of rain and high winds Tuesday, National Weather Service forecasters said today.
The system was traveling over the East-Central Pacific today. Ahead of the front, a moist air mass will develop in the Southland tonight or early tomorrow, producing light showers or drizzle, according to an NWS advisory.
The system's cold front will start moving from west to east over the region during the morning or early afternoon hours Tuesday and likely exit the region Tuesday night, it said. But before it does, the storm will produce between four and eight hours of moderate rain.
Rain totals are expected to amount to between a quarter-inch and three quarters of an inch in coastal and valley areas and between an inch and 1.5 inches in mountain areas, according to the NWS.
The snow level will start off high tonight, near 9,000 feet, but drop to 6,000 feet by Tuesday morning and between 4,500 and 5,500 feet in the afternoon or evening, NWS forecasters said.
“Behind the cold front, a cold and unstable air mass loft will move into the area on Tuesday night and early Wednesday,'' according to an NWS advisory, but it said it is too early to forecast thunderstorms.
Coinciding with the rain, strong winds will sweep across the region, especially mountain areas, where 60 mile-per-hour gusts are possible, according to the NWS.
The NWS issued a high wind watch for San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, effective from the morning through the afternoon.
The NWS predicts a high of 62 and an evening low 51 degrees for Glendora on Tuesday.
But the rain shouldn't stay for long, according to the NWS. The sun and 70-degree weather is expected to return Wednesday through the end of the week.
-- City News Service contributed to this report.
