Southern California

Here comes the rain. The National Weather Service says rain is expected to move into Southern California on Friday night and make for wet conditions through the weekend. The "relatively weak" storm will move in Friday and gain momentum Saturday morning, said meteorologist Rich Thompson of the National Weather Service office in Oxnard. "It's not a tremendous amount of rainfall," Thompson said, estimating 1 to three fourths of an inch will fall in the central areas and about 1 inch in the mountains.

The potential impacts of what one meteorologist called "the strongest storm  of the season" are becoming clearer as rain and snow approach Friday and Southland residents begin taking precautionary measures against the bad weather. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for Southern California, which officials say will likely turn into a warning by the end of Friday. That means winter driving conditions this weekend with some snow and ice on the roads.

The National Weather Service has issued an "excessive heat watch" for Southern California for Saturday -- warning that intense heat and high humidity could prove dangerous, especially to the young, aged and infirm. As an emergency measure, the city of Los Angeles is opening "cooling centers" to include senior citizen centers, recreation facilities and libraries. A full list can be found at Emergency.lacity.org . Click on the banner that says "Cooling Facilities to beat the heat.

Authorities say there has been a rash of burglaries targeting wealthy neighborhoods and beach communities in Southern California, including 100 in the city of Los Angeles alone since the beginning of the year. Sources familiar with the investigation said they began noticing a surge in these crimes since Thanksgiving, with burglars hitting communities including Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Woodland Hills, Pacific Palisades, Bel-Air, Playa Vista and Brentwood. In the last three days, authorities have arrested 13 burglary suspects.

Possibly damaging winds were expected to whip Southern California early Thursday with gusts of up to 35 mph as the sun returns to Los Angeles. The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for the morning and early afternoon. High temperatures are expected to be in the 60s and 70s. Temperatures Thursday night in Los Angeles are expected to fall to the 40s and 50s. Continue reading > > -- Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times

State forest firefighters will be on alert for brush fires in coming days as temperatures rise and strong winds prevail in Southern California. The Inland Empire already was experiencing high winds and rising temperatures early Wednesday, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, commonly known as CalFire. Winds were picking up Wednesday “to allow for the possibility of a mild Santa Ana event,” Berlant said. “This puts us back into the peak of fire season down in Southern California.” After rain earlier this month, forecasts call for temperatures in the 90s Wednesday and Thursday, and in the high 80s and low 90s Friday.

After an unseasonably dry and warm winter so far, Southern Californians will be treated to some cooler temperatures this week and maybe even some rain later on, National Weather Service officials said Tuesday. Rain could come as early as Friday and last into the weekend, but the amount hasn't been forecast yet, said Bonnie Bartling, a weather specialist with the National Weather Service. January temperatures have averaged a high of 73 degrees, and one day rose to 86 degrees.

A feeble rainstorm from Alaska could possibly trigger thunderclaps in Los Angeles County on Wednesday afternoon and evening, forecasters said. The National Weather Service said there is a 20% chance of thunderstorms across the L.A. area late Wednesday. But the rainstorm was expected to be all but anemic, water-wise. Overall rain totals were expected to be light, with less than one-tenth of an inch in most areas, and some areas may not get measurable rain at all, forecasters said. There was a better chance for snow at local ski resorts, with about 10 inches expected for Big Bear and other areas above an elevation of 5,000 feet in the San Bernardino County mountains.

Southern California is in for a mild, sunny July 4th, with highs in the 70s at the beaches and 80s inland, the National Weather Service said. Weather specialist Bonnie Bartling said the only hitch could be clouds that move in and out at the beaches starting around 6 p.m., making fireworks along the coast a little hard to see from a distance.  MAP: Where to see Fourth of July fireworks “Historically, it sort of gets icky...

A year ago Grace Graham-Zamudio settled for runner-up, third- and fourth-place finishes at the state championships. The Glendale Community College women's track and field star wouldn't settle for anything less that first in 2013. It resulted in Zamudio leaving the California Community College Athletic Assn. Track and Field State Championships, which was held at the College of San Mateo, and Glendale college with a triple crown. “The last race was definitely special, I know during the last lap I was thinking, 'This is my last lap as a Vaquero,'” said Zamudio, who capped off an incredible two-year career with the team by winning the 1,500-meter race in four minutes 36.13 seconds and the 5,000-meter in 17:41.

SANTA ANA - Good-bye hugs were exchanged in right field before a few tears and plenty of beads of sweat were wiped away by many of the members of the Glendale Community College baseball team. It came shortly after the Vaqueros saw their season wrap up Saturday with a 4-3 defeat against El Camino Compton in an elimination contest of the Southern California Fullerton Super Regional at Santa Ana College. “It's a special group of guys,” said Glendale college Coach Chris Cicuto, whose team finished 27-13.

After she stepped on to the all-weather track Saturday, Grace Zamudio realized the weather conditions would be conducive while looking to further elevate her decorated racing career. There was less wind and more heat around Antelope Valley College for the Southern California Championships, paving the way for the Glendale Community College women's track and field star to gobble up some more individual accolades while also looking to punch her ticket to the California Community College Track and Field Championships.

Grace Zamudio likely won't have any trouble getting motivated with another trip to the California Community College Track and Field Championships at stake. Zamudio will lead a group of Vaqueros scheduled to compete in the Southern California Championship on Saturday at Antelope Valley College. The field events begin at 11 a.m., followed by the running events at 1 p.m. Zamudio, who has already advanced to the state meet in the 10,000 on Saturday after clocking 39 minutes 15.48 seconds for a victory at the Southern California Regionals prelims at Antelope Valley College, will attempt to win the 1,500- and 5,000-meter races Saturday.

Jin Park certainly isn't a stranger to the playoff stage. He's soaked up some past experiences, including an appearance with the talented Glendale Community College men's golf team that advanced to the state tournament in 2011. Things will now be a bit different for Park, who will tee off at the Southern California Regionals on Monday at Costa Mesa Golf and Country Club. Park, a Burbank High graduate, will be the lone representative from Glendale college to participate in the 36-hole event and attempt to qualify for the California Community College Athletic Assn.

Donna Marie Weil Raeder, of Lancaster, passed away on April 23, 2013 at Antelope Valley Hospital after a brief illness. She was 65 years old. Donna was born April 26, 1947 in Los Angeles to the late Gertrude and Harold Weil. She grew up in a cozy Burbank home with her parents and brothers. Donna attended St. Frances Xavier School and Burbank High, from where she earned her diploma. A spirited woman, she is remembered for her love of making pottery, cowboy boots, baton twirling and spending time with her family.

After qualifying for the Southern California Regionals and then competing in the Western Conference Tournament last week, the members of the exhausted Glendale Community College men's tennis team made the long trek to San Diego on Tuesday. While the Vaqueros were glad to return to the playoffs for the first time in two seasons, they were not able to shake off fatigue. Fifth-seeded Glendale saw its season end with a 5-1 loss against third-seeded San Diego Mesa in a quarterfinal match.

With essentially a brand new cast of players, the Glendale Community College women's tennis team did something it hadn't done since 1999 - qualify for the Southern California Regionals. While the Vaqueros would have liked to have extended their season, they made strides to improve the program's outlook. "It's a tremendous reward just to get this far," Glendale assistant Coach Deo Sy said after seventh-seeded Glendale suffered a 5-0 road loss to second-seeded Mt. San Antonio College in a first-round match Tuesday.

Wind gusts topping 70 mph were recorded Monday afternoon as Southern California was buffeted by a major Santa Ana wind event. The National Weather Service said the high winds were causing dust storms and had created zero-visibility conditions in some desert areas. In Lancaster, winds were clocked at 70 mph amid a sand storm. In Imperial County, a 73 mph gust was reported. Scattered power outages were also reported. A high-wind advisory is in effect across Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley, where gusts could peak at 45 mph, said weather service meteorologist Andrew Rorke.