Rain, wind and chilly weather are hitting Southern California. How long will it last?

Light rain, wind and clouds are bringing cooler weather across Southern California starting Wednesday, but forecasts show the trend shouldn’t last much longer.

“Today’s the first day of the somewhat inclement weather coming in,” David Sweet, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, said Wednesday.

A series of storms will bring winds and minor rainfall, as well as some snow, across California into the weekend.

“Just a very light amount of rain,” Sweet said, estimating less than a quarter-inch could fall Wednesday in much of Los Angeles County.

The next system is expected to move in late Thursday, bringing cooler weather and more winds through the end of the week. Rain is less likely from that system, but some snow could fall Friday in the mountains at elevations as low as 4,500 feet, Sweet said, though he didn’t expect many disruptions.

On Saturday, Sweet said, northern and northwestern winds will likely be the biggest concern, before the systems clear out by Sunday.

“Saturday is a very windy day and there could be strong wind gusts that would cause power lines and trees to go down in some areas,” Sweet said, expecting most issues in the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys.

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San Diego County’s mountains could see the heaviest rain in Southern California, with up to three-quarters of an inch likely by Friday, said Mark Moede, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego.

Some areas across Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties may not see any rain, but cooler temperatures and winds are likely.

The second system is expected to bring rainfall across the San Joaquin Valley beginning Thursday, with a couple of inches of snow possible in the higher Sierra ranges.

But by Sunday, the winds across the Southland will switch into an offshore flow as a high-pressure system moves in, Sweet said, bringing warmer temperatures and clearing out the clouds. That pattern will continue into early next week, with temperatures reaching into the 70s by Monday.