Long Beach will likely get its first rain of the season this weekend, but it’s going to avoid the worst of the atmospheric river that has battered Northern California with what forecasters call a “bomb cyclone.”
The weather phenomenon is a storm that rapidly intensifies in a short period of time and experiences a swift drop in pressure. This bomb cyclone has dumped roughly a foot of rain in some parts of the Pacific Northwest before heading toward Southern California.
By the time it reaches Long Beach, only light rain is expected to arrive on Saturday morning and remain through the afternoon, with a few hundredths of an inch expected throughout the day, said Ariel Cohen, meteorologist-in-charge at the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles office.
“There may be a slick roadway here or there,” Cohen said.
A second band of rain is expected on Monday, with rainfall totals between a half-inch to an inch spread throughout the day, Cohen said.
Overall, it is expected to be “beneficial rain” with “no flooding concerns” for Long Beach, Cohen said.
He did advise drivers to use caution on the wet roadways and leave plenty of space for braking.
Tuesday could have a few periods of light rain, with the system expected to clear the region by Wednesday morning and slightly warmer temperatures forecast to arrive late next week, Cohen said.
High temperatures for Saturday are expected to reach the low 60s, with lows in the mid-50s.
Sunday will have a slight chance of rain in the morning, with highs in the low 60s and lows around 50 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.