More rain, thunderstorms ahead for Southern California on Friday

More rain and window-shaking thunderstorms are expected to arrive in Southern California on Friday, the National Weather Service said.

Starting early Friday afternoon, a “potent but rather fast-moving storm” is expected to swoop down from Santa Barbara County over Los Angeles and Ventura counties and bring with it up to an inch and a half of rain, gusty winds and possibly hail.

“It’s very unstable, like the last storm,” NWS meteorologist Curt Kaplan said.

Though the entire region will get at least a little rain, heavier downpours are expected at higher elevations, excluding the Santa Monica mountains. The system could dump up to 8 inches of snow on Big Bear and some fresh powder at elevations as low as the 5 Freeway in the Grapevine, the weather service said.

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This storm could be as strong and fast-moving as one earlier this week, Kaplan said. That storm brought pea-size hail to parts of the Southland, covering areas near Sierra Madre and Altadena, said Stuart Seto, a weather specialist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

The system also brought strong winds, with reports of gusts up to 64 mph near Point Mugu in the Santa Monica Mountains and 50 mph in other mountain areas, Seto said.

The storm coming Friday should be gone by the weekend, Kaplan said. Temperatures could climb into the 70s, he said. Another round of rain could be in the works for Monday, he added.

For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna.

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