Record Rainfall Expected To Douse Los Angeles, Dust San Gabriels

LOS ANGELES, CA — A rare May storm is expected to douse the Los Angeles region late Wednesday with the possibility of lightning, thunder and heavy downpours Thursday morning.

Up to three-quarters of an inch of rain are expected to fall in dunpours across the coastline while snow is expected in the San Gabriel mountains as low as 6,000 feet, according to the National Weather Service. The weather service is warning of dangerous winter driving conditions in the higher elevations.

The rain is likely to start falling after midnight Wednesday followed by rain and a slight chance of thunderstorms Thursday morning, showers in the afternoon and the evening, and sunny conditions Friday. Many rainfall records may be set Thursday, according to the NWS, and the morning commute could be rough.

Also expected are stiff winds -- around 15 miles per hour Wednesday and Wednesday evening in Los Angeles, and up to 40 mph Thursday in the San Gabriels.

The NWS forecast mostly cloudy skies Wednesday and highs of 58 degrees on Mount Wilson; 65 in Avalon; 68 at LAX; 70 in Long Beach; 72 in Saugus, Burbank and Downtown L.A.; 73 in Pasadena, San Gabriel and Burbank; 74 in Woodland Hills; and 75 in Palmdale and Lancaster. Thursday's highs will be a few degrees lower -- up to 12 degrees in Lancaster -- but under rain this time.

Partly cloudy skies are forecast in Orange County, along with highs of 58 on Santiago Peak; 64 on Ortega Highway at 2,600 feet and in San Clemente; 66 in Newport Beach; 67 in Laguna Beach; 70 in Fremont Canyon and Trabuco Canyon; 71 in Yorba Linda and Mission Viejo; 72 in Anaheim and Irvine; and 73 in Fullerton. Showers and lower temperatures are forecast Thursday.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.