Your SoCal Weather Report For Wednesday, Jan. 31: Cooler Temps As The First Of Two Storms Moves Into SoCal

Happy Wednesday. With today's dry skies and cool weather, now is your last chance to prepare for the incoming series of storms that are expected to hit the Southland tomorrow morning. There's a slight chance of rain on Friday, but we'll have a break before the second storm, which is slated to reach the area on Sunday.

Average temperatures across the Southland will max out in the 60s — 65 degrees for the coasts with some patchy fog until 10 a.m., and up to 68 degrees for the inland areas and valleys.

Come later tonight, temperatures will drop to the 50s, and starting at 10 p.m., we could see the first round of precipitation that will gradually increase into Thursday morning.

Latest forecast on the storm

Meteorologist Andrew Rorke with the National Weather Service said commuters should brace for the heaviest rain during Thursday morning rush hour.

"Rain starting around dawn and then blasting through about noon with the heaviest, portion of rain occurring from about 7 a.m. through 9 a.m. We're looking for about an inch to maybe an inch and a half of rain in totals," Rorke said.

Drivers should also look out for gusty winds, especially along the mountain passes. Thunderstorms are also likely.

And now, about those advisories out for tomorrow:

Winter storm warning

Heavy snow is expected in the mountains. The 5 Freeway and Highway 15 corridors will see up to 3 inches of snowfall, but wind gusts up to 50 mph make for a dangerous commute.

The San Gabriel and Ventura mountains will get some snow starting tomorrow, up to 18 inches possible above 7,000 feet and 6 inches at 6,000 feet level.

In the Inland Empire, the Riverside and San Bernardino mountains will see snow accumulations of up to 1 foot at elevations above 7,000 feet, and up to 6 inches at the 6,000 feet level. Above 8,000 feet, forecasters say up to 2 feet of snow is expected.

High surf

More high surf is expected for the coasts. Orange County coastal areas will see high surf tomorrow through Saturday with large breaking waves up to 7 feet tall and local sets reaching 9 feet.

Los Angeles, Ventura County beaches and the Malibu coast will see large breaking waves on west facing beaches up to 12 feet tall also through Saturday. Beware of strong rip currents.

Wind advisories

A wind advisory has been issued for San Bernardino and Riverside county valleys. Expect southeast wind gusts up to 25 mph, some local gusts reaching up to 45 mph.

Flood watch

Orange County, the Inland Empire, and the high and low deserts are under a flood watch starting Thursday morning through Friday morning as the storm will bring moderate to heavy rain widespread.

Flood threat will be below the snow level of 7,500 feet.

Things to do

Enjoy the calm before the storm. Prep if you haven't already — that means clear gutters, sign up for emergency alerts and get sandbags at your local fire station. After all that prep, you might want to stop by the Arts District for some good eats.

Vegan Playground: Vegan Playground is the weekly night market of the Arts District in downtown L.A., uniting lovers of food, music, and good times. Enjoy 20+ vendors serving up SoCal’s best vegan food, drink, and goods every Wednesday night! This event has free admission, DJs, giveaways and games.
Check out our full list of things to do this week.