089 FXUS66 KLOX 221127 AFDLOX SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA 330 AM PST TUE FEB 22 2011 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD AIR MASS WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES BELOW SEASONAL NORMALS THROUGH WEDNESDAY WITH PARTLY CLOUDY CONDITIONS PREVAILING. OUR NEXT WEATHER SYSTEM WILL BRING A CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION TO THE REGION THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY...WITH LOW ELEVATION SNOW. && .SHORT TERM (TODAY-THU)... PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY TODAY AS LOTS OF MID AND HIGH CLOUDS STREAM OVER THE AREA OUT FROM A RETROGRADING UPPER LOW CURRENTLY A COUPLE HUNDRED MILES TO THE WEST OF POINT CONCEPTION. 545 DM THICKNESS IS ABOUT 7 DM BELOW NORMAL AND MAX TEMPS WILL BE 5 TO 10 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. WEDNESDAY IS NO MORE EXCITING. THE UPPER SLOW SWINGS SOUTH AND SLIPS UNDER THE AREA INTO MEXICO. THERE WILL BE A LITTLE MORE SUNSHINE AS THE FLOW PATTERN TURNS TO THE NW DURING THE AFTERNOON. THKNS REMAINS NR 545 DM AND MAX TEMPS WILL REMAIN 5 TO 10 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. WEDNESDAY NIGHT THE GFS AND NAM SHOW AN INFLUX OF 975MB MOISTURE STREAMING INTO THE SAN GABRIEL VLY UP FROM ORANGE COUNTY THIS MOISTURE WILL TRAVEL UP THE FOOTHILLS AND COULD PRODUCE A SHOWER OR TWO THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. SOME PATCHY LOW LEVEL CLOUDS MAY ALSO FORM BUT OVERALL IT WILL BE PARTLY CLOUDY THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. DURING THE DAY THURSDAY A VERY COLD UPPER TROF WILL MOVE OUT OF WASHINGTON STATE AND BEGIN ITS TREK SOUTHWARD. IT WILL NOT AFFECT THE WEATHER MUCH DOWN HERE WHERE IT WILL REMAIN PARTLY CLOUDY AND COOL WITH MAX TEMPS REMAINING NEAR 60 ACROSS MUCH OF THE COAST AND VLY AREA. .LONG TERM (FRI-MON)... THE 00Z GFS AND 00Z EC WERE A LITTLE OUT OF PHASE WITH EACH OTHER OVER THE COURSE OF THIS STORM BUT THE 06Z GFS HAS COME INTO PHASE WITH THE EC. BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON THE UPPER LOW WILL BE JUST W OF CRESCENT CITY...REACHING THE BAY AREA BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON...AND THEN OVER THE ANTELOPE VLY EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. A CHANCE OF RAIN WILL OVERSPREAD THE AREA FRIDAY MORNING STARTING ALONG THE CENTRAL COAST...THE CHANCE OF RAIN WILL CONTINUE ALL DAY SATURDAY AND THEN END OVERNIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. IF GFS AND EC KEEP IN THIS CLOSE AGREEMENT AND CONTINUE THIS PATTERN FORECAST WORDING WILL HAVE TO MOVED UP TO LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON UPDATE. THE OTHER IMPORTANT FACTOR WITH THIS STORM IS THE AMOUNT OF COLD AIR IT WILL BRING WITH IT. THKNS START OUT AT 546DM FRIDAY AFTERNOON...FALL TO 539 DM SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND THEN PLUNGE TO 525 DM EARLY SUNDAY. (THE MDLS USUALLY OVER DO THE COLD AIR IN THE EXTENDED PERIOD SO THESE REMARKABLE NUMBERS MAY COME IN A LITTLE WARMER) SNOW LEVELS WILL BE VERY LOW AND WILL AFFECT THE MOUNTAIN PASSES AND INTERIOR VALLEYS. MAX TEMPS WILL BE 15 TO 20 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THE LOW PULLS OUT SUNDAY. BOTH THE EC AND THE GFS AGREE THAT MOST OF SUNDAY AND MONDAY WILL BE DRY. A LITTLE RIDGE BUILDS IN AND WHILE SUNDAY WILL BE COOL IT WILL WARM MONDAY. && .AVIATION...22/1130Z. VFR CONDS EXPECTED ALL TAF SITES THRU PERIOD. STRATOCU DECK AROUND 050 SHOULD DISSIPATE THIS AFTERNOON. NO SIGNIFICANT WIND ISSUES. KLAX...HIGH CONFIDENCE IN 12Z TAF. KBUR...HIGH CONFIDENCE IN 12Z TAF. && .LOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE && $$ PUBLIC...RORKE AVIATION...RAT SYNOPSIS...KAPLAN WWW.WEATHER.GOV/LOSANGELES