Rain across California, south gets first storm in month

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rain made a rare visit to Southern California on Sunday, as parts of the drought-stricken region saw showers from a storm that already made for a wet weekend in the state's north.

Though the storm was no blockbuster, the National Weather Service forecast that rain would touch much of the state, with snow in the Sierra.

The most rain was expected to arrive overnight with the possibility of thunderstorms, though Sunday afternoon rain was falling at a rate greater than half an inch per hours, the service said.

It was the continuation of a relatively wet rainy season in Northern California. Meanwhile, rain has not visited Los Angeles since mid-October. The 6.37 inches that have fallen downtown in 2016 are about half the historical average, as the region remains locked in drought.

The Weather Service said that before the storm departs Monday it could bring an inch across Southern California — enough for flash flood watches, especially in wildfire burn areas.

The mountains are forecast to receive 4 to 8 inches of snow above 7,000 feet and 1 to 2 inches between 6,000 and 7,000 feet.