Rain Could Soak L.A.'s Halloween for the First Time Since 2014
Forecasters expect the storm to peak Saturday evening into Sunday morning, bringing a quarter to a half inch of rain to most areas, though its timing remains uncertain.
Los Angeles may be in for its first wet Halloween in more than a decade. A storm coming in from the southwest is expected to bring rain to Southern California this weekend, and the National Weather Service says the heaviest rain is most likely Saturday evening and overnight, just as trick-or-treaters head out.
If the rain shows up on schedule, Saturday could be Los Angeles' first rainy Halloween since 2014, NBC Los Angeles reported.
When the Rain Arrives
Thursday and most of Friday should be cloudy but calm, according to the weather service's Los Angeles office. A stray shower could pop up almost anywhere west and south of the mountains on Friday, but forecasters expect less than five hundredths of an inch from it.
The main system arrives Saturday. In its early Thursday forecast discussion, the weather service put the chance of rain at about 70% for most of the region and wrote that rain, "unfortunately for Trick or Treaters," will peak Saturday evening and continue overnight. Showers should clear quickly from west to east on Sunday morning, and by Sunday afternoon only eastern Los Angeles County is expected to have a chance of rain.
For downtown Los Angeles and nearby cities, the weather service's zone forecast calls for a 20% chance of showers Saturday afternoon and showers likely after midnight, with a 70% chance of rain Saturday night. Sunday has a 40% chance of showers before skies clear in the evening.
Probably Not a Soaker
Forecasters say this storm is more likely to be a steady rain than a downpour. The official forecast calls for a quarter to a half inch of rain in most places, up to three-quarters of an inch in southeast Los Angeles County, and less than a quarter inch north of Point Conception.
The weather service also stressed that the forecast could still change. Computer models often have trouble with storms coming in from the southwest. Forecasters put the chance that this turns into a 1- to 2-inch storm south of Point Conception at 30%, and the chance that it brings only a couple of tenths of an inch at 10% to 15%. Two higher-resolution models now show the rain arriving later, and one of them also tracks it farther south. "So perhaps Saturday and Saturday evening will be drier than the official forecast indicates," the forecast discussion said.
TV forecasters agree the weekend looks wet but aren't sure exactly when the rain will start. "If it goes a little further south then we're drier this weekend and if it goes a little north, we have widespread rain. Or maybe it lands somewhere between that and we get on and off showers," FOX 11 meteorologist Adam Krueger told FOX 11 Los Angeles. NBC4 meteorologist Shanna Mendiola was more definite: "I can tell you for sure we're going to have some rain this weekend."
Cooler Days, Then a Warm-Up
The clouds are already keeping things cool. Highs along the coast and in the valleys will be in the 70s on Thursday, then mostly in the upper 60s to mid-70s on Friday, 5 to 10 degrees below normal. Saturday's highs will stay in the 60s before Sunday afternoon's sunshine brings the lower 70s back.
After the storm, a ridge of high pressure and light offshore winds move in on Monday and Tuesday. Temperatures should rise a few degrees, but the weather service expects the winds below passes and canyons to stay under advisory levels.
Clocks also change this weekend. Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, when clocks fall back one hour, FOX 11 noted.
Tides and Burn Scars
The rain comes right after a week of record-high tides. A coastal flood advisory now runs until 2 p.m. Friday for coastal zones, including the Los Angeles County beaches, the weather service said. Earlier in the week, the San Pedro tide gauge set a record of 8.02 feet.
The rainfall expected this weekend is modest, but people who live in or below areas burned by recent wildfires should still keep an eye on alerts. LAist has reported that half an inch of rain in less than an hour can set off debris flows on recently burned slopes. Ahead of a storm last week, Mayor Karen Bass's office said sandbags and more than 13,000 feet of K-rail concrete barriers remain in place in Pacific Palisades and that crews regularly clean the area's 18 debris basins.
Los Angeles Fire Department stations hand out up to 25 free ready-to-fill sandbags per household, and Los Angeles County Public Works engineers can advise homeowners on where to put them at 800-933-0930, according to a county bulletin. Residents can sign up for emergency alerts through NotifyLA in the city and at alert.lacounty.gov countywide.
