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2 New Storms Headed For The Southland

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Just as Southern California is drying out following a powerful Pacific storm last week, another pair of storms are headed for the region Monday, threatening rainfall from early Tuesday through Wednesday.

The first and weaker storm will hit the Central Coast late this afternoon, and reach Los Angeles County by about 3 a.m. Tuesday, according to a National Weather Service statement.

The first of the two systems is expected to generate south winds with gusts up to 40 mph in the mountains and gusts of up to 35 in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, according to forecasters. Snow levels will remain near or above 6,000 feet.

The second, "somewhat stronger" storm will arrive Tuesday into Tuesday night and persist through Wednesday, according to the NWS. It is expected to produce between a half-inch and an inch of rain in coastal and valley areas, and between one and two inches in the mountains and foothills, the statement said.

There will also be lower snow levels, and isolated thunderstorms over much of the land area," the agency said.

Snow level will fall to around 5,000 feet by Tuesday night, though snowfall at even lower levels is possible, according to the NWS, and showers are expected to continue through Wednesday afternoon.

"Potential impacts will include slick roadways with localized ponding of water possible in low-lying urban areas, winter driving conditions on mountain roads and possible snowfall on the higher elevations of the Grapevine Tuesday night into Wednesday," the statement said, adding that "minor debris flows will be possible in and near burn areas..."

Officials with the L.A. County Public Works Department say they're confident that debris flow basins near burn areas will hold up, even though they haven't been cleaned out since the last storm, KNX 1070's Ed Mertz reports.

"The system is in good shape, its doing exactly what it was designed to do," L.A. County Public Works spokesman Bob Spencer said. "With this system coming in tonight, we're not anticipating any problems at all.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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