Thunderstorms, cold weather to hit Southern California over the weekend

After mild weather for most of the week, thunderstorms and cold weather could be heading to Southern California over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

A low-pressure system that moved in on Thursday is expected to continue to move eastward into Arizona, which could result in instability over the region and bring a risk of showers and thunderstorms to the mountains, according to the weather service.

Flash flooding and debris flows are possible, including in burn-scar areas in the interior mountains, the agency said.

Another low-pressure system is expected to move through the area Saturday, which could quickly deepen the marine layer. Coastal areas could see light rain or drizzle, especially Saturday morning and Sunday. Precipitation chances are highest for Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with accumulations predicted to be very light and under a tenth of an inch.

In mountain and interior areas, showers could occur around 5,500 feet of elevation by Sunday but rain and snow are expected to be relatively light, the weather service said. Some mountain areas could see up to 0.50 inch of rain and 2 to 5 inches of snow.

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Wind gusts of 25 to 45 mph could occur in coastal areas, with the strongest conditions over the Central Coast and southwest Santa Barbara. Interior valleys, mountains and deserts could see wind gusts of up to 35 mph.

By Sunday, temperatures are expected to dip to the 60- to 70-degree range, which is about 10 degrees below normal.

An upper-level trough will ensure California sees cooler than normal temperatures until at least the middle of May, according to Scott Handel, a forecaster at the federal Climate Prediction Center.

“The flow is cut off from the main storm track, which is why we’re seeing this kind of unsettled weather reach deeper into California than usual for May,” Handel told the San Francisco Chronicle, adding that a ridge will build in the eastern and central U.S.