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Thunderstorms Will Probably Ruin Your Friday Evening Commute
Rainy day on an L.A. road (Photo by victoriabernal via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
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The workweek will end as the workweek began—not with a whimper, but a bang.
When Angelenos were rattled out of their beds Monday by an early morning thunderstorm, they worried about what it all might mean for the coming week. The week has been graciously dry, but looks as if Mother Nature has similar plans for Friday evening as she did on Monday morning.
The National Weather Service predicts a significant chance of more rain and more thunderstorms Friday afternoon and into the evening. Along with rain, the NWS says the storm system will bring gusty winds, and snow levels down to around 5,000 feet.
The rainfall is predicted to arrive in the late afternoon, peaking sometime between 4 to 6 p.m. Probably just in time to wreck the Friday evening commute. Just remember, you'll be fine if you drive a little bit more slowly with your headlights on and cell phone away.
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After tomorrow, the next rain is supposed to hit SoCal Monday, scheduled to dampen the region throughout that day's afternoon.
El Niño is regarded somewhat as a dud here in SoCal, though the L.A. County Department of Public Works tried to increase rainfall during Monday's storm using a technique known as cloud seeding. People can artificially induce up to 15 percent more rainfall locally by releasing silver iodide into clouds, prompting more condensation. The County did this on Monday, and may do it again tomorrow if the conditions are right.
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