L.A. weather forecast: Finally, a chance of rain on the horizon

After a slight warming trend this week, a very parched Los Angeles could see a rare sight: rain.

Parts of the Southland saw a few sprinkles over the weekend, but a stronger weather system is expected to produce a 20% chance of rain on Thursday and into Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

However, anyone hoping for significant relief from the area’s drought conditions will be disappointed. Forecasters don’t expect more than a quarter of an inch of rain from the system -- hardly enough to raise abysmal rainfall totals across the L.A. basin.

So far this year, there has only been a trace amount of rainfall measured in downtown Los Angeles, compared to January 2013, which saw 4.37 inches, according to the weather service.

And last year, downtown had its driest year since 1877, when official measurements began.

In the lead-up to cloudy skies on Thursday, expect sun and above-normal temperatures as a slight warming trend develops, peaking on Wednesday with temperatures in the mid-70s to low 80s, according to the weather service.

[For the Record, 9:40 a.m. PST: An earlier version of this post gave the incorrect rainfall total so far for January. There has only been a trace amount of precipitation recorded since Jan. 1, according to the weather service.]

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jason.wells@latimes.com

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