Wet Weather Ahead

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 Monday. 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.