Southern California Weather: Rain Expected New Year's Weekend Through Tuesday

New Year's Weekend Weather Forecast

• 🌧️ Southern California can expect cloudy skies and light showers starting Friday afternoon, marking the beginning of 2026.
• ⚠️ Streets are slick in areas like Long Beach, and showers are moving towards LAX, with mild temperatures around 63 degrees.
• ☁️ Up in the Antelope Valley, Lancaster is experiencing cloud cover with temperatures at 48 degrees, and some sprinkles are possible.

Heavier Rainfall Expected

• ☔ By Saturday afternoon, the light precipitation will intensify into measurable and at times heavy rainfall.
• 🗓️ This heavier rain is forecast to continue through Saturday evening, Saturday night, and persist through Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.
• 📈 Accumulation estimates suggest downtown LA could see almost 2 inches of rainfall between Friday night and early Monday morning.

Extended Forecast and Drying Out

• ☀️ Sunshine is expected to return by Wednesday, January 7th, with temperatures rising into the mid to upper 60s.
• 🌡️ The extended forecast for Southern California indicates a return to pleasant weather with mid-60s temperatures for Thursday and Friday of the following week.
• ⛰️ Mountain areas may experience a rain-snow mix through the weekend, with a better chance for measurable snowfall by Sunday, though rain will still mix in.

Regional Breakdown

• 🍊 Orange County, Riverside, and San Bernardino County will experience showers throughout the weekend and into Monday and Tuesday.
• 🏖️ Beaches and inland areas of Orange County will see rain this weekend, showers Monday-Tuesday, drying out by Wednesday.
• 🏔️ Mountain regions anticipate a rain-snow mix, with potential for snowfall by Sunday.