An unusually strong, early-season storm currently drenching northern California will slowly drop southward today arriving here in SoCal this afternoon with gusty winds and widespread rainfall. Clouds and winds will gradually increase overnight with lows in the 30's, southwest winds 10-20 mph late. Partly to mosTly cloudy skies today as the main band of precipitation arrives around midday or early afternoon with rain showers becoming likely through the evening. Colder and windy with highs in the upper 40's to around 50-degrees. West-southwest winds gusting to around 40 mph at times, with isolated stronger gusts possible. Due to the warmer moisture being drawn in off the Pacific, this will be a rainmaker for us with around 1/2-1 inch of rain expected, locally 1-2" are possible on the lower coastal slopes. The snow level will remain above 9,000 feet lowering some tonight as the cold front swings through the area. We could see a few snow showers on the tail end of this system, but accumulations will remain light, if at all, except above 9,000ft. If planning travel into the mountains through tomorrow morning, be prepared for inclement weather and always carry tire chains, weather conditions can and will change rapidly! Fair and warmer weather will return for the second half of the week with near-normal temperatures and dry conditions through next weekend.