Fall preview: Powerful winds, rain and snow come to California

Californians got their first dose of fall weather Tuesday as snow, rain and cooler temperatures gripped the state early this week.

Northern California experienced thunderstorms and showers that brought less than an inch of rain across Butte and Plumas counties Monday, while communities south of Lake Tahoe received a bit of snow early Tuesday. The precipitation is not enough to affect travel, according to the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

In the Bay Area, rain moved through the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Central California won’t receive rain, but will enjoy cooler temperatures — up to a 15-degree drop in some cities.

Highs will top out in the 70s Tuesday in the San Joaquin Valley for the first time in roughly 90 days due to a low-pressure system moving over California and Nevada, according to the National Weather Service in Hanford.

“It’s been a while since high temperatures have not reached 80 degrees in the San Joaquin Valley,” the weather service said. “This afternoon may be the first time in nearly three months for some locations.”

The last day the temperature did not reach 80 degrees in Bakersfield was May 25 — 110 days ago.

Scattered storms could affect parts of the Sierra Nevada on Tuesday afternoon and strong winds could affect driving conditions in Kern County.

In Southern California, powerful winds howled through the Antelope Valley early Tuesday. Winds reached 57 mph in Lake Palmdale and 42 mph at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in Lancaster.

Light drizzle left highways and roads slick across Los Angeles overnight. Los Angeles County Fire Camp 9 in Sylmar received the most rain: a tenth of an inch, according to meteorologist Todd Hall at the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

The taste of fall won’t last long, with California’s usual late-summer heat expected to return with a vengeance within the week, Hall said. By Monday, temperatures are expected to soar to 100 degrees in Woodland Hills, he said.

“Our warmest temperatures are usually in September,” Hall said.

The hottest temperature ever recorded in downtown Los Angeles was 113 degrees on Sept. 27, 2010.

[email protected]

For breaking news in California, follow VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.

ALSO

2 men are arrested during Ryan Lochte’s debut on ‘Dancing With the Stars’

Man who stole parking enforcement car dies ‘in contact’ with sheriff’s deputies at a McDonald’s

Firefighters battle flames and exploding gas cylinders in downtown L.A. building fire