By Reginald Stanley. Posted November 14, 2023, 6:18 PM.

Two waves of widespread precipitation are forecast to impact Southern California this week, following another extended period of warm, dry Santa Ana Wind conditions that has dominated much of the Autumn so far.

Increasing cloudiness is taking place Tuesday evening and will continue into Wednesday, as moisture from the southwest begins spreading over the region. The first wave of precipitation is predicted to impact the region Wednesday evening and continue overnight into Thursday morning. Rainfall projections for this storm are between 0.4 and 0.75 inches for the coasts and inland valleys, up to 1 inch in the mountains, and less than 1/3 in the deserts. A slight risk of thunderstorms exists for the mountains and lower deserts. A dry lower level will likely prevent any precipitation from reaching the ground during the day on Wednesday, before increasing moisture becomes more widespread Wednesday evening and overnight. The warm nature of this storm system will keep snow levels high, hovering around 9000 feet. Conditions dry out after Thursday morning, although a slight chance of precipitation remains for the remainder of that day.

The low pressure system off the coast of Southern California responsible for the upcoming wet weather will move ashore Friday, with precipitation becoming widespread once more during the evening and continuing into Saturday. Precipitation totals look to be similar to Wednesday-Thursday, with only the deserts receiving a bit less rainfall. Snow levels are projected to drop slightly, to around 8000-8500 feet above sea level. Wind increases somewhat going into Saturday.

The low pressure system will move east of the region early next week. Drier conditions, and a possible return of Santa Ana Winds are forecast for the early-to-middle part of next week.