Special Weather Statement

ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS- SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE- SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS-SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS- RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS- SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-APPLE AND LUCERNE VALLEYS- COACHELLA VALLEY-SAN DIEGO COUNTY DESERTS- 930 AM PST THU JAN 3 2008
...A DEVELOPING WINTER STORM IS FORECAST TO BRING WET AND WINDY WEATHER TO SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...

MOISTURE MOVING UP FROM THE SUBTROPICS AND INCREASING SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL PRODUCE A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS THIS EVENING AND EARLY FRIDAY OVER SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA.

THE MAIN PART OF THE STORM WILL BRING MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING TO NORTHERN ORANGE COUNTY AND SOUTHWEST SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY...THEN CONTINUE SOUTH AND EAST INTO RIVERSIDE AND SAN DIEGO COUNTIES OVERNIGHT FRIDAY NIGHT.

STRONG WINDS WILL ACCOMPANY THE STORM FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE IN THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS...AND AT THE COAST AND IN THE COASTAL WATERS.

HEAVY RAIN IS EXPECTED FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY FOR ALL OF SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA...INCLUDING THE DESERTS. WARM SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL CONFINE HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TO AREAS ABOVE 8000 FEET IN THE SAN GORGONIO WILDERNESS AND MOUNT SAN JACINTO STATE PARK. SATURDAY NIGHT A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA. THIS WILL ALLOW SNOW LEVELS TO DROP TO AROUND 6000 FEET. MORE COLD AIR ON SUNDAY WILL DROP THE SNOW LEVEL EVEN FURTHER...DOWN TO 4000 FEET OR LOWER. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH OCCASIONALLY HEAVY RAIN AND SNOW ARE POSSIBLE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY MORNING. PRECIPITATION SHOULD END MONDAY.

COLDER AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT AND LOWER THE SNOW LEVEL TO 4000 FEET OR LOWER BY LATE SUNDAY. SNOWFALL OF 1 TO 2 FEET WILL BE POSSIBLE AT THE 6000 FOOT LEVEL IN THE MOUNTAINS BY MONDAY. MUCH HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED AT THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS. SEVERAL INCHES ARE EXPECTED ABOVE 4000 FEET SUNDAY AND MONDAY.

TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS THROUGH MONDAY WILL RANGE FROM 2.5 TO 5 INCHES OVER THE COAST AND VALLEY AREAS...6 TO 12 INCHES OVER THE MOUNTAINS...AND 0.75 INCH TO 2 INCHES OVER THE DESERTS. THE BULK OF THIS RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO FALL BETWEEN FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY NIGHT.

THESE FORECAST RAINFALL AMOUNTS...AS WELL AS THE INTENSITY OF THE RAINFALL...ARE SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE FLOODING OF STREAMS... CREEKS... RIVERS...AND NORMALLY DRY WASHES AND CULVERTS.

Starting to sound less than fun. Hate to say it, but it might be time to pull the plug Justice. Reschedule?