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Well, That Escalated Quickly. Hail Could Return This Weekend
Cloudy skies, rain and even hail will hit much of Southern California by the end of the week.
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Gamma Infinity via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
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After a short run of warm temperatures this week, the weather is cooling down and bringing some rain to the Los Angeles area.
Mike Wofford, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, said highs will hit 65 to 70 degrees on Thursday, and 55 to 60 from Friday through Sunday. There will also be rain starting around midnight on Thursday.
"It should be mostly done by noon Friday, for the most part," said Wofford. "But in the Los Angeles area, we could see from half an inch to an inch of rain, and maybe a thunderstorm or two."
It's all part of a run of strange weather for Southern California. The weather system brings the possibility of thunderstorms and, a bit unusually, another chance of hail. (At least Angelenos might not be so surprised this time.)
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“There’s a chance of heavy downpours and small hail Thursday night and Friday,” said Carol Smith, a meteorologist at NWS.
She said the forecast is a “dramatic” change. It comes as L.A. County neared record-breaking heat temperatures this week. The NWS in San Diego was even surprised, which pointed out online that the storm has “escalated quickly.”
In the words of a very wise, yet fictional news anchor, "Boy, that escalated quickly."
— NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) March 1, 2022
Confidence is growing in a widespread precipitation event w/ snow at elevations above 5000-6000 FT. Strong onshore winds also occur over the mountains/desert foothills late Thu-Fri. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/RP6GIoqG1c
The wet weather should dry up by next week, and Wofford said experts are not expecting much more rain after this weekend.
"If you like rain better, better enjoy it while you can," he said.
For now, the NWS recommends that people slow down on slick roads and stay indoors if thunder is nearby.
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