Showers and thunderstorms threaten the Southland Wednesday, National Weather Service forecasters said.
"While most of the shower activity should be on the light side, some brief heavy rainfall is possible, especially in and near thunderstorms," according to an NWS advisory. "Some thunderstorms may also produce small hail."
The precipitation, expected to begin in earnest in the Greater Los Angeles area tonight, will result from a cold upper-level low-pressure system that was some 200 miles west of Point Conception this morning and expected to move slowly in a southeasterly direction through Thursday, forecasters said.
"This system will bring a chance of showers and thunderstorms to the region through Thursday evening," according to the advisory.
Rain totals of between a tenth of an inch and a half-inch are expected, although more than an inch is possible in any area hit by thunderstorms, and some areas will get no rain at all, according to the NWS.
The snow level will generally remain above 7,000 feet, and there could be up to 3 inches of snow at higher elevations in the San Gabriels, according to the NWS.
Greater L.A. area temperatures were not expected to rise above the 70s today. The NWS forecast highs of 58 on Mount Wilson; 66 at LAX; 68 in Avalon; 70 in Long Beach, downtown L.A., San Gabriel, and Burbank; 71 in Pasadena and Saugus; 72 in Anaheim, Newport Beach, Woodland Hills, and Palmdale; and 73 in Lancaster.
