T-Storms, Rain, Cold Temps Moving In

A winter storm rolling in from the Gulf of Alaska will dump rain and snow on the region starting Monday.

The low pressure system will develop over the ocean Sunday night and strengthen as it approaches the coast Monday morning. It will move ashore midday, then exit Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Los Angeles will bear the brunt of the storm. The Weather Service has issued winter storm warning, advising residents that between 9 and 13 inches of snow is possible above 5,000 feet in Los Angeles County.

"The storm will be sufficiently cold and unstable to produce locally heavy showers at times, with a slight chance of thunderstorms," said National Weather Service meteorologists.

In Santa Monica, daytime temperatures will be a chilly 58 degrees Sunday and 59 degrees Monday, when there's an 80 percent chance of rain. Lows will remain in the upper 40s.

Rainfall amounts will range between one-quarter and three-quarters of an inch along the coast, with up to 1 ¾ of an inch possible in local mountains.

"Some thunderstorms may contain brief, heavy downpours, dangerous cloud- to-ground lightning, gusty and erratic winds and pea-size hail or graupel (soft hail)," according to a Weather Service advisory.

The snow level will fall to between 3,000 and 4,000 feet on Monday, making driving difficult over the Grapevine and across Highway 14 through the Soledad Pass. As much as 8 inches of snow is possible in higher elevations above 5,000 feet. Antelope Valley foothills might see a dusting, too.