Cooler temperatures, possible rain headed for Southern California

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It’s time to grab those jackets and pull out the umbrellas because cooler temperatures and a chance of rain is on tap for Southern California by the middle of this week, forecasters say.

The region could see widespread rain, with a 10% to 20% chance of thunderstorms that could bring gusty, erratic winds and lightning by Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

While forecast models are not yet in agreement about precisely when the rain will arrive, the low-pressure system from the north is expected to bring about 12 hours of precipitation, with rainfall totals between 0.75 and 1 inch in most places and up to 2 inches in the foothills and on coastal slopes.

“Right now, it does not look like rainfall rates will be hazardous unless a thunderstorm develops,” read a National Weather Service forecast read early Monday morning. “The rain should taper off to nothing Thursday evening or shortly after midnight.”

Maximum temperatures on Monday are forecast to be in the 70s — slightly below normal for this time of the year — across coasts and valleys south of Point Conception in Santa Barbara County.

Wednesday and Thursday are expected to be cloudy and cool, with highs topping out in the mid-60s and lower 70s, according to the weather service.

The cool, wet weather comes after days of punishing Santa Ana winds that fueled a spate of wildfires across Southern California and a persistent heat wave that shattered October records across Southern California and ushered in an unprecedented streak of 100-degree days.

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Hailey Branson-Potts is a general assignment reporter who joined the Los Angeles Times in 2011. She reports on a wide range of issues and people, with a special focus on rural communities. She grew up in the small town of Perry, Okla., and graduated from the University of Oklahoma.

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