Long Beach, CA

... A wet weather pattern to develop across southwest California
on Tuesday...

A storm system off the West Coast will move east into southwest
California through Tuesday... and bring a cool... wet... and
unsettled weather pattern.

Gusty southerly flow developing ahead of the storm systems cold
front will increase across the area tonight. While breezy
conditions will be prominent almost everywhere on Tuesday... the
strongest winds are expected over Santa Barbara and San Luis
Obispo counties... especially in those mountains where potentially
damaging gusts over 60 mph are possible.

As for rain... the heaviest precipitation just ahead of the
systems cold front will begin moving from northwest to southeast
over the region late Tuesday morning... and exit the area Tuesday
night... producing a period of 3 to 8 hours of moderate rain. Rain
totals with this system should range from 0.10 to 0.50 inch over
southern coastal and valley areas to 0.50 to 1.00 inch across
northern coastal and valley areas... and from 0.50 to 1.50 inches
in the mountain areas. The highest totals are expected over the
favored south-facing slopes of Santa Barbara and western Ventura
counties... and the Santa Lucia mountains of San Luis Obispo
County... where isolated amounts to around 2.00 inches are
possible.

Snow levels will generally range between 6000 and 7000 feet... but
with higher levels with the heavier precipitation... and lower
levels just before. Snow levels should then lower to 4500 to 5500
feet Tuesday night into Wednesday morning as the precipitation
shifts to the backside of the mountains. After the front
passes... snow showers may develop with snow levels between 4500
and 5500 feet... with the lowest snow levels and potential for
wrap around moisture from the east on the backside of the Los
Angeles and Ventura County mountains Wednesday morning. Snow
totals between 3 and 7 inches are most likely above 6000
feet... with the higher amounts expected on the backside of the
mountains.

For updates on this Pacific storm system... please stay tuned to
the latest National Weather Service forecasts and statements on
this developing weather situation.

905 PM PST sun Feb 5 2012

... A wet weather pattern to develop across southwest California
Tuesday...

A storm system over the east central Pacific will move east into
southwest California through Tuesday. A cool... wet... and
unsettled weather pattern will develop from the west to east
Tuesday and Tuesday night.

Southerly flow developing ahead of the storm systems cold front will
increase across the area Tuesday morning. Breezy conditions will
be prominent in the coastal and valley locations Tuesday... with
windy conditions possible across the mountains. The strongest
winds will likely impact the Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo
County mountains on Tuesday... with potentially damaging gusts
occurring.

Ahead of the front... a moist air mass will develop rapidly across
the region late Monday night or early Tuesday... with the southerly
flow likely allowing for orographic lift to produce some light
showers or drizzle.

The systems cold front will begin moving from west to east over
the region during the morning or early afternoon hours on
Tuesday... likely exiting the area late Tuesday night. At this
time... a period of between 4 and 8 hours of moderate rain is
expected across the area. Precipitation amounts with this system
will range from 0.25 to 0.75 inch across coastal and valley
areas... to up to between 1 inch and 1.50 inches in the mountain
areas. Local amount up to 2 inches are possible across favored
south-facing slopes of Santa Barbara and western Ventura counties.

Ahead of the cold front... the snow level will likely start near
9000 feet on Monday night... but will drop to 6000 feet by Tuesday
morning as evaporative cooling develops. Behind the front... snow
levels will lower between 4500 and 5500 feet on Tuesday afternoon
and Tuesday night. The lowest snow level will likely occur along
the northern slopes of the mountains and north of Point
Conception... and few flurries or snow showers cannot be ruled out
for the Tejon Pass and over the highest elevations of Highway 33
in Ventura County. Several inches of snow may fall above 6000
feet.

Behind the cold front... a cold and unstable air mass aloft will
move into the area on Tuesday night and early Wednesday. Isolated
thunderstorms cannot be ruled over the coastal waters and mainly
Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. With some divergence
in the finer details between computer models... any mention of
thunderstorms has been left out of the forecast for now... but may
be added in the near future.

For updates on this Pacific storm system... please stay tuned to
the latest National Weather Service forecasts and statements on
this developing weather situation.