Los Angeles (LOX) — the National Weather Service forecast in plain English · Plaincast

Synopsis

Weak northeast winds are expected to develop this weekend, bringing drier conditions and warmer temperatures to the region that will persist through the first half of next week. Cooler conditions to follow with a growing potential for a significant storm system towards the end of next week.

Short Term

Fairly benign stretch of weather ahead in the short-term. A clearing and drying trend will continue this weekend as gradients shift to weakly offshore. Expect the strongest northeast flow to occur today. These weak offshore winds will most likely peak below Advisory levels, with gusts of 20 to 40 mph common in the wind prone mountains and valleys. Temperatures will rise 8 to 15 degrees today compared to the last couple of days. Highs in the 70s to lower 80s are expected, with an additional few degrees of warming on Sunday. After that, little change in temperatures expected through at least Monday.

Long Term

Northwest to northeast winds will increase Monday Night into Tuesday, then weaken into Wednesday. This will keep temperatures largely unchanged with highs in the 70s to lower 80s most common which is right around normal for this time of the year.

The pattern will start to change around Thursday, with onshore flow returning, temperatures dropping, and low pressure forming over the West Coast. This will open the storm window over California, with a growing chance of a significant storm impacting the local area as early as Friday but more so for the weekend. There is a 90+% chance for rain sometime in the Oct 30 through Nov 2 timeframe, likely lasting several hours. Halloween activities are likely to be impacted. There remains a range of outcomes in terms of rain amounts, rates, and winds. At this point, the most likely outcome is for a moderate- level storm in terms of strength and impacts, with a low but present risk for a higher level storm.