Halloween weekend rain is coming to Los Angeles, with showers starting Friday, Oct. 30, and the steadiest rain expected Saturday night into Sunday morning. The National Weather Service forecast discussion from the Los Angeles/Oxnard office, issued Oct. 29, says widespread rain is likely but amounts remain uncertain.
Halloween weekend rain timing
Scattered light showers could appear anywhere through Saturday morning, but totals should stay at a few hundredths of an inch. Then the main system moves toward Southern California on Saturday afternoon and evening. It moves inland on Sunday.
For downtown Los Angeles, the weather service forecast shows a 50% chance of showers on Friday and a 90% chance on Saturday. Saturday brings between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, with rain starting around 11 a.m. Saturday night stays wet before 4 a.m., and Sunday keeps showers likely until about 4 p.m.
So trick-or-treating on Saturday evening will likely happen in rain. Parents who plan an early start should know the heaviest part of the storm comes later that night.
How much rain to expect
The forecast office expects 0.25 to 1.00 inch across the area, with up to 2 inches on favored mountain slopes. However, the models disagree on details. The office puts a 20% chance on totals about double that range and a 20% chance on totals about half.
The forecasters also say the strongest instability stays south of Los Angeles County. As a result, rain rates should run 0.10 to 0.33 inch per hour, and the thunderstorm chance is under 10%. Drivers should still expect slick roads, because the first rain after a dry stretch lifts oil from the pavement.
Getting around and what comes next
Allow extra time on freeways Saturday night and Sunday morning. Metro’s D Line is also back in service at three stations: Metro says Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega reopen at the start of service, about 4 a.m., on Saturday, Oct. 31. We covered the original closure in our D Line closure guide. Trains then run every 10 minutes between 8:20 a.m. and about 8:30 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, according to the Metro update.
Meanwhile, the coastal flood problem has not gone away. The forecast discussion says very high tides will continue to cause coastal flooding issues this week. Our earlier post on the coastal flood advisory explains which beaches are affected, and our burn scar flooding guide covers what to know in fire-damaged areas.
After the storm, the outlook turns calm. Monday and Tuesday should be dry and warmer, with highs from the upper 60s to the 70s and weak offshore winds below advisory levels. Check the weather service’s Los Angeles/Oxnard page for updates, since totals may change before Saturday.
For more city news, visit our Los Angeles and California guide.