Tuesday provided a brief break from a series of storms over the past two weeks, but more rain and cold temperatures are headed toward Southern California Wednesday and Thursday.

The rain is expected to begin early Wednesday morning, with a 90% chance of rain during the day and evening, and a 70% chance of rain on Thursday.

A winter storm watch will take effect late Tuesday night and remain in place until late Thursday night in the Los Angeles County mountains, with heavy snow possible and gusty winds of up to 40 mph.

“Travel could be very difficult to impossible,” according to the National Weather Service. “Some mountain roadways that could be affected by snowfall include Angeles Crest Highway, Mount Baldy Road and Highway 39 in Los Angeles County.”

Forecasters said the storm could bring brief heavy downpours to the region, particularly if the weather system “stalls” over the area.

Temperatures will also remain “significantly below average” across the region, according to the National Weather Service.

Dry but cool conditions are anticipated starting Friday and lasting through the holiday weekend, with a low around 42 degrees on New Year’s Eve Friday night and a high of 58 degrees on Saturday.

The winter weather has resulted in rainfall totals that are above average in most areas of Southern California. As of Tuesday, Long Beach has received 3.46 inches of rain since Oct. 1, which is 112% of average for this time of year.

City News Service contributed to this story.