Driving Advisory: Wet Commute Forecasted in Southland

Rain fell on the Southland Thursday, setting the stage for wet commutes this morning and this afternoon.

"Main impacts will be hydroplaning on the freeways due to oil being lifted by the first rain in a long time," warned a National Weather Service advisory.

California Highway Patrol Officer Ed Jacobs said there was about a two- thirds increase in the number of accidents in various areas of the freeway system coinciding with the morning rains, but that no serious injuries had been reported.

"Hopefully, there won't be," Jacobs said.     

NWS forecasters also warned of the possibility of urban flooding in low- lying areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. No serious flooding was reported overnight in Los Angeles County, according to the Los Angeles city and county fire departments.

The wet weather, resulting from subtropical moisture drifting north from Baja California and combining with a trough of low pressure, is expected to persist through Sunday, according to the NWS.

There could be between a half-inch and three-quarters of an inch of rain along the coast and in the valleys, and up to to two inches in some parts of the San Gabriel Mountains, said NWS meteorologist Curt Kaplan.

The snow level, meanwhile, will remain high, falling to 6,000 feet in the San Gabriels by Friday evening and coming down some more Sunday, when some travel issues could arise on the Interstate 5 corridor even though little is expected in the way of rain or snow accumulation, NWS forecasters said.

Thursday's rainfall is likely to coincide with the morning and afternoon commutes, according to NWS forecasters, who set the chance of precipitation at 50 percent Thursday, 70 percent Friday, 40 percent Saturday and 20 percent Sunday.

Highs Thursday will be in the 60s.

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