Dec 27, 2006 8:25 am US/Pacific
Let It Rain, Let It Rain, Let It Rain
Winter Storm Brings Flash Flood Watch, Strong Winds And A Chance Of Snow
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
Rain fell on the Southland as a fast-moving winter storm brought high winds, the threat of flash floods, heavy surf and dropping temperatures.
"The front will be fast-moving, bringing just a three-to-six-hour period of rain. However, some of the rain could be locally heavy," the National Weather Service said in an advisory."Due to the quick movement of this system, total rainfall amounts are not expected to be particularly high."
A Flash Flood Watch will be in effect through Wednesday morning in the Santa Clarita Valley, on Catalina Island and at Los Angeles County mountains, excluding the Santa Monica range.
Snow levels in mountain areas will start out around 6,500 feet, then fall to 4,500 feet in the afternoon, according to the NWS.
"There is the potential that snow could affect travel on Interstate 5 near the Grapevine and Interstate 13 through the Soledad Pass," the advisory said.
Much of the precipitation will end by late evening, according to the NWS advisory, but showers will linger on north-facing slopes of the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties and in the foothills above the Antelope Valley. This is expected to continue into Thursday morning.
Strong winds will develop across much of the region -- blowing in the 35-to-45-mile-per-hour-range, gusting to 70 mph, forecasters said.
"The winds will cause areas of blowing dust and sand in the Antelope Valley, locally reducing visibilities to near zero at times," the NWS said.
Gale-force winds will blow along the coast, according to the NWS, creating surf between 5 and 7 feet today at the beaches of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with 9-foot sets expected on exposed west-facing beaches.
"There will be a high potential for rip currents at all area beaches" through Thursday, the NWS advisory said.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
