More rain and the possibility of a weak tornado are on the way for the Santa Clarita Valley this week, according to the National Weather Service.
Light “on and off” showers are expected throughout Tuesday morning. Beginning Tuesday afternoon, a second wave of additional stronger rainfall will be hitting the valley, said Rose Schoenfeld, meteorologist with the NWS.
“We’re going to have a pretty significant frontal system pass through the area and this will bring additional rainfall as well as a different kind of pattern than we have right now. It’s going to be a lot more convective,” said Schoenfeld.
“This means that there could be areas of really high rainfall amounts and pretty dramatic effects such as strong winds and heavy downpour,” added Schoenfeld. There also might be chances of small hail and a “small chance of a weak, short-lived tornado situation during this time period” going into Wednesday morning.
The tornado-like situation, should it occur, is expected to only last a few minutes at a given time, and isn’t expected to be strong enough to cause catastrophic destruction, said Schoenfeld.
“Towards the end of that atmospheric river we had a really unstable environment,” Schoenfeld said. “It would be a small tornado that would be rated pretty low on the scale and only last, like maybe five minutes.”
She added it was worth mentioning because this kind of weather isn’t usually seen in Southern California and may cause concern.
Schoenfeld advised that local residents should stay inside and “put as much between you and the outside as you can.”
A flood watch is in effect until 10 a.m. Wednesday, so commuters should be on the lookout if they come across flooded roadways, and additional driving precautions were advised by Schoenfeld.
She said individuals should keep both hands on the wheel. If hydroplaning occurs, it’s advised to steer into skid to regain traction, drive through the interior lanes since they are less likely to flood and add more time for commutes.
Forecasts for the SCV are as follows:
- Tonight: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 48. South southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
- Tuesday: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61. South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
- Tuesday Night: Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. South southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
- Wednesday: A 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10 a.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 62. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
