The Santa Clarita Valley carried through a wet Thanksgiving holiday and will face another cold, rainy holiday on Christmas as yet another storm makes its way through Southern California.
The storm is expected to spread across the region from Tuesday night and into Wednesday with light showers before picking up by Christmas night.
“We’re expecting to see a heavy band of rain (Wednesday) night and into (Thursday) morning that would be the heaviest for the week,” said Tom Fisher, information technology officer at the National Weather Service.
With rainfall continuing into Thursday, the NWS will roll out a winter storm watch as temperatures are expected to drop in the low 40s and northeast wind gusts reaching as high as 45 mph.
“Those freezing levels will be felt at the Grapevine, with snow showers and heavy blowing, low-visibility snow,” said Fisher.
An estimated 1.5 to 1.75 inches of rain in the coastal and valley areas and up to 1.3 inches of rain in the foothills are expected throughout the holiday week.
The highest elevations could see as much as 12 to 18 inches of snow, which could cause traffic delays and detours in several areas such as the Tejon Pass along Interstate 5.
With possible traffic issues that may arise as a result of weather conditions, motorists are recommended to “plan ahead if there are road closures. Have an idea of where to go around those closures and be prepared in case you get stuck on the road,” said Fisher.
The SCV could see rain once again by Monday, but only with a slight chance of showers and warmer temperatures nearly reaching 60 degrees.
As of Tuesday afternoon, no there were planned road closures for the SCV area. To check road conditions, visit the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works website at dpw.lacounty.gov/roadclosures.