Southern California should be prepared for rain and blustery conditions this week. Residents can also expect to have a rainy New Year's Eve and Day, with rainfall rates from a quarter to half an inch an hour predicted on Wednesday night into Thursday morning. "The chances of a wet New Years Parade, and including the night before when people camp out before the parade, are extremely high, 80-90% at this point," the weather service said in a Monday evening statement.
Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will close early on Christmas Eve as a powerful atmospheric river storm system approaches Southern California during what is typically the busiest week of the year at the Anaheim theme parks. Disneyland and DCA will close an hour early on Wednesday, Dec. 24 as weather forecasts predict up to 4 inches of rain in Orange County by the end of the day.
As the Los Angeles area continues to see cooler-than-normal temperatures, gusty winds are forecast to blow through Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties Friday afternoon into Saturday. Light rain was reported in Koreatown and Atwater Village on Friday morning, and stray showers are also possible near the northern Ventura and L.A. County border with Kern County, according to the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
Dangerous rip currents, as well as elevated surf of up to six feet, could strike beaches in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with the highest risk on south-facing shores, especially from Point Mugu to Malibu, the National Weather Service said in a beach hazards statement, which remains in effect through Monday evening. Swimmers can be pulled out to sea by the currents, and the Weather Service is advising beachgoers to stay near lifeguard towers or avoid the water altogether.
Some areas could see significant rainfall for this time of year - around a quarter of an inch - particularly along a path from San Diego up to the Coachella Valley, the weather service said. The chance for thunderstorms will be strongest over the Riverside and San Bernardino county mountains, where some patches of heavy rainfall could cause flash flooding. The bulk of the tropical moisture will stay south and east of Los Angeles County, though showers will be possible, according to the weather service's Oxnard office.
