096 FXUS66 KLOX 201022 AFDLOXArea Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard CA 322 AM PDT Sat Sep 20 2025
.SYNOPSIS...20/156 AM.
A warming and drying trend will continue today. Isolated showers cannot be ruled out over the mountains this afternoon, but drier southwest flow should continue to stabilize the air mass. Monsoonal moisture will begin to move north again on Sunday, and a return of convective storms is possible as early as Sunday afternoon and evening. Any shower activity for the coastal and valley areas will likely delay until Tuesday.
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.SHORT TERM (TDY-MON)...20/320 AM.
The latest water vapor imagery indicates an upper-level ridge of high pressure over the region this morning, while an upstream cutoff trough sits off the California coast. The low cloud field is pretty broken up due to a weak marine inversion in place, but the most coverage of low clouds is along the Central Coast and into the Santa Ynez Valley.
A drier southwest flow aloft will continue today across the region. Marginal PoPs remain in the forecast over the western portion of the Transverse Ranges due to just enough moisture in place and some difluence with the weak trough offshore. High resolution multi-model ensemble members favor shower chances over the Santa Barbara and Ventura County mountains this afternoon and evening. People planning to travel mountain roads and/or participate in outdoor activities today should be prepared for brief heavy downpours, gusty and erratic winds, and dangerous lightning.
Ridging aloft in place will bring a warming trend through the weekend. Weak onshore flow with less cloud coverage will allow for a slight warming trend to develop for the valley, mountain, and desert areas. Closer to the coast, the onshore flow should inhibit the bulk of the warming.
The latest model solutions and forecast ensembles continue to indicate a surge of monsoonal moisture moving north between Sunday and Tuesday. The moisture, associated with a tropical disturbance off the Baja California coast, will be transported northward as the weak cutoff trough off the coast approaches the coastline. The cyclonic flow pattern will entrain some tropical moisture. PoPs could increase as soon as Sunday. High resolution multi-model ensemble members give a likely (60-70 percent) chance of precipitable water values exceeding 1 inch by Sunday across southern Los Angeles County. This agrees well with AI integrated EPS ensemble members which increase PWAT values around to 1.1 inches at KLAX by Sunday afternoon, but the bulk of the moisture looks to remain to the south until late Monday night or early Tuesday morning. The PoP forecast for coastal and valleys areas goes with NBM values for Sunday, but PoPs were increased across the mountains and desert to account for isolated showers that could pop up.
.LONG TERM (TUE-FRI)...20/320 AM.
The latest forecast ensembles increase precipitable water value means through Tuesday to near 1.50 inches as the weak cutoff trough slowly approaches the California coast. This should bring a return of showers and thunderstorms to the area between Monday night and Tuesday night as the moisture interacts with the instability provided by the trough. A similar approach was applied to PoPs for Monday through Wednesday, allowing for the forecast for coastal and valley areas to go with NBM values, but PoPs were increased across the mountains and desert to account for increased convection over the areas.
The trough should pass by to the east for late week and bring some warming and drying.
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.AVIATION...20/0545Z.
At 0458Z at KLAX, the marine layer was around 600 feet deep. The top of the inversion was 1300 feet with a temperature of 22 C.
High confidence in VFR TAFs for desert airfields (KWJF and KPMD).
Good confidence in VFR TAF for KPRB with only a
NWS LOX Office Area Forecast Discussion