It may be spring but the Santa Clarita Valley is facing showers and thunderstorms and a small chance of hail as this week draws to a close, according to the National Weather Service.
A cold late-season storm was to begin moving into the SCV beginning later Thursday and lasting into Friday night. By Thursday afternoon the SCV was expected to start seeing a slight chance of showers and it will increase throughout Friday, said Rich Thompson, meteorologist with the NWS.
“Also, there’s going to be a possibility for some thunderstorms. Those thunderstorms, given the cold nature of the system, could produce some brief heavy rain and even some small hail and some gusty outflow winds,” said Thompson.
Rainfall total is expected to be half an inch for most of the area, he added.
Thompson added that travelers going up north near Grapevine and surrounding areas may come across winter-like conditions with a chance of low snow. He advised that commuters be prepared for the conditions and be more cautious when on the road.
Rain and thunderstorms are not unusual for this time of year, said Thompson.
“It comes really showery where some areas will get a decent amount of rain and other areas won’t get much at all. We get storms like this every late winter and goes into early spring, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary,” he said.
Thunderstorms are likely; therefore, residents should remain inside once they pass through the valley.
The SCV skies are expected to clear up by Saturday, according to the NWS website.
The forecast is as follows:
• Thursday: A 30% chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 57. Breezy, with a southwest wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
• Thursday night: Showers likely, mainly after 11 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39. Breezy, with a southwest wind 15 to 20 mph decreasing to 10 to 15 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
• Friday: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11 a.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 53. Breezy, with a west-southwest wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
• Friday night: A 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 39. West wind 10 to 15 mph becoming north after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
• Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 64. North wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph.
