California forecast: Cold storm to bring rain, mountain snow to SoCal region

Weather forecast for Wednesday, Feb. 28

The latest forecast and air quality conditions for the greater Los Angeles area, including beaches, valleys and desert regions.

LOS ANGELES - You may want to keep your umbrella handy as a cold storm approaching California is expected to bring more rain and mountain snow to the region.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said as soon as Thursday, Southern California residents could see patchy fog and drizzle before the brunt of the storm hits Friday and Saturday.

Over the weekend, the area is forecast to see strong winds, periods of rain and mountain snow. FOX 11 Meteorologist Maria Quiban said up to a quarter of an inch to an inch of rain is expected. Since it's a cold storm, snow levels could drop to elevations around 3,000 feet.

For now, the NWS has not issued any weather alerts.

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See a timeline of what to expect below.

Thursday, Feb. 29

On Thursday, expect patchy drizzle and fog before 10 a.m. for most of Southern California. A mix of sun and clouds is expected in the afternoon hours.

For those at higher elevations, expect mostly sunny skies and cool temperatures hovering around 50 degrees.

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Friday, March 1

Our March begins on a wet note. Some light showers are likely during the day, with more widespread rain expected during the evening commute into the overnight hours.

For mountain communities in the Inland Empire, rain and snow chances are expected for most of the day before snow chances begin dominating the forecast late Friday night.

Saturday, March 2

Most of Southern California can expect rainfall for most of the day with afternoon highs around 60 degrees.

Snow is forecast for the mountain communities in San Bernardino and Riverside counties for most of the day. This includes areas such as Running Springs, Idyllwild, Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead. The NWS forecasts snow levels will drop to around 6,000 feet early Saturday and could fall to as low as 3,000 feet early Sunday. This could impact travel over the Grapevine, the Tejon Pass, and other mountain passes in the area.