Half-Inch of Rain Falls on Chatsworth

Chatsworth residents were greeted with a cold morning rain that spread from the west across Los Angeles County Sunday, as more than a half inch soaked  Chatsworth.

In the San Fernando Valley, .43 inches fell at the Rocketdyne plant above Bell Canyon, and .47 inches at Northridge. The unofficial rain measurements were recorded by Los Angeles County flood control detectors.

The week ahead looks to be chilly, with overnight lows in the 40s and highs expected to peak in the low 70s by midweek. Looking ahead, more rain is expected by the weekend.

Today should be mostly sunny with highs in the 60s.

The rain was courtesy of a winter-style low pressure front that dropped down the California coast overnight, dousing the Central Coast with more than a half inch of rain.

The front began to clear out to the east by midmorning, as predicted by the National Weather Service. But it left in its wake unstable air, lots of clouds and the possibility for afternoon thundershowers or other rain squalls.

Rainfall totals around Los Angeles were similar to last week's. The snow level was above 5,500 feet, meaning freeways were well below the freezing line, and Mountain High Ski resort opened Saturday after getting about four inches of natural snow Friday.

And heavy snow was reported on 5,700-foot-high Mt. Wilson, where chains were required to reach the mountaintop.

By 10 a.m., automated rain gauges in the hills above Malibu had gotten the most rain, with .63 inches reported in Trancas Canyon and .51 inches at both Agoura and Monte Nido.

Rain started falling at about 7:30 a.m. downtown, where a total of .31 inches was measured. In Venice, .41 inches fell, and an average of about .20 inches fell at several measuring stations in the San Gabriel Valley.

-- City News Service