Rain fell on the Southland Thursday, setting the stage for wet commutes in the morning and 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.
Weather Service forecasters also warned of the possibility of urban flooding in low-lying areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
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 National Weather Service.
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 Weather Service meteorologist Curt Kaplan. Preliminary rainfall totals in Santa Monica are predicted at 0.32 inches and 0.16 inches at the pier.
As of 5 a.m., .31 inches of rain had fallen at Los Angeles International Airport and .48 in Redondo Beach. In Culver City, rainfall at that time had amounted to .43 with .51 in Bel Air. Torrance recorded .51 and Hawthorne .26. Downtown Los Angeles had .28. Long Beach registered .25.
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, Weather forecasters said.
Thursday's rainfall is likely to coincide with the morning and afternoon commutes, according to Weather Service forecasters, who set the chance of precipitation at 50 percent today, 70 percent Friday, 40 percent Saturday and 20 percent Sunday.
Highs today will be in the 60s.
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