According to the most recent forecast models, a “bomb cyclone” riding a long atmospheric river toward the West Coast is predicted to bring 30-foot waves to the Oregon coast and more than a foot of rain to sections of Northern California, but the weather in and around Los Angeles won’t be quite as bad.
The northern half of the Golden State is currently on the verge of being struck by the “bomb cyclone,” a fast intensifying storm system, beginning Wednesday morning. An atmospheric river—basically, a long plume of moisture in the sky—is transporting the rain toward the California coast.
Southern California can receive a lot of rain from atmospheric rivers, but it appears like this one will stall out up north.
Bryan Lewis, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Oxnard/Los Angeles office, stated that although it will dump rain there, we will only be on the “southern edge” of the system.
“There is a chance for a little bit more significant rain, like over two inches in some areas. But it is a little different story (than in Northern California), and there is some uncertainty since we’re on that south edge of it,” Lewis stated.
According to Lewis, the rain is expected to reach the Los Angeles region late Friday or early Saturday morning.
Southern California’s mountainous regions are the most prone to see rain. He clarified that since there won’t likely be a lot of rain in a short amount of time, landslides and debris flows don’t appear to be a major issue with this storm system.
“It looks to be kind of a longer duration thing: cloudy skies and occasional periods of rain,” Lewis stated.
Additionally, the Oregon coast, where a high surf warning indicates breaking waves of 25 to 30 feet, is predicted to have far more spectacular surf than Southern California.
Although there were no high surf advisories issued for the shore on Tuesday afternoon, the sea conditions remained dangerous for small boats.
