Unpredictable Storm Expected To Douse Silver Lake Thursday Night

LOS ANGELES, CA — Pick up some firewood on your way home tonight, because a cold storm is expected to hit Los Angeles with brief periods of solid rainfall throughout the evening Thursday. A storm out of the Gulf of Alaska slowly meandered across California Thursday and is expected to move into the Los Angeles region at around 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. — later than initially forecast.

The storm is bringing with it cool temperatures, brief periods of steady rain and snow in the local mountains, creating travel headaches at the tail end of the afternoon rush hour. The storm will likely bring up to three-quarters of an inch to the Los Angeles region with more rain expected in the hills.

“Thankfully, most people will be home by then,” Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service told the Los Angeles Times. “The rain should continue into Friday morning until about 3 a.m., and then it should be pretty much done.”

The storm's greatest impact may be in the San Gabriel Mountains, where a winter weather advisory denoting high winds and tough driving conditions will be in force from 1 p.m. Thursday until 1 p.m. Friday amid a falling snow level and furious winds, they said.

No mud slides or debris flows are expected over slopes previously denuded by wildfires -- in L.A., Orange and Riverside counties -- because the rainfall at no time is expected to exceed a half-inch per hour, said meteorologist Curt Kaplan at the National Weather Service's Oxnard station.

The storm will clear out by sunrise, he said.

In the San Gabriel Mountains, the snow level will fall to between 4,500 and 5,500 feet during daytime hours, then to between 3,500 and 4,500 feet by late Thursday evening, the NWS said. Between four and eight inches of snow is expected to accumulate above 5,500 feet while an accumulation of two to four inches is anticipated between 4,500 and 5,500 feet, and two inches -- a dusting -- is expected between 3,500 and 4,500 feet, it said.

At the same time, south to southwest winds of 25 to 35 mph gusting to up to 50 mph will sweep across the San Gabriels, and road closures may be required on Interstate 5 through the Grapevine and Ventura County's Highway 33, the NWS said.

"Slow down and use caution while traveling," urged an NWS statement.

The Antelope Valley will also be windy, with the weather service forecasting winds 20 to 35 mph, with gusts of up to 50 mph. The strongest winds will be in the foothills.

"Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down. Blowing dust could locally reduce visibility in the desert at times Thursday afternoon in advance of the rain," warned an NWS statement.

"Travel may become hazardous for high-profile vehicles traveling along Highways 14 (the Antelope Valley Freeway) and 138 (Pearblossom Highway) in the Antelope Valley," it added.

The NWS forecast rain in L.A. County Thursday and highs of 43 on Mount Wilson; 55 in Lancaster; 56 in Palmdale; 57 in Burbank; 58 in Woodland Hills; 59 in Pasadena, San Gabriel, Long Beach and at LAX; and 61 in Downtown L.A. Temperatures will rise up to six degrees Friday amid sunny skies and up to six more Saturday under mostly cloudy skies.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.