If you enjoyed the drenching L.A. got this week, which included about 1-and-half inches of rain for downtown, according to the National Weather Service, you could be in for more of that much-beloved and much-needed H20.

Private forecasting service AccuWeather says a “parade of storms” is marching toward California this month.

While we'll be lucky if any of them reach Southern California, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Dave Houk tells us that the company's weather modeling software predicts that more heavy rain is possible in our neck of the woods next Thursday and Friday.

]

“Looking down the pipeline, some models suggest toward the end of next week there's potential for heavy rainfall for SoCal again,” Houk says.

Bonnie Bartling, National Weather Service weather specialist, says there's also a small chance of “a few sprinkles” tonight and early Saturday morning as a low pressure system passes to the north.

Next week will dry out with a mild high pressure system likely producing temperatures in the mid 70s for downtown L.A., she said. The NWS isn't going as far as AccuWeather on the possibility of a weekend storm … yet.

Keep in mind, however, that while forecasting what's going to happen seven days from now has its pitfalls, Southern California has some of the most predictable weather in the nation.

In the meantime, the prospect of a wet December has us asking, is this drought over, then?

Not exactly. 2014 was the third-driest “water year” on record in California, so we have a lot of making up to do. The “rainfall deficit” in Los Angeles—the number of inches below normal rainfall expectations—is close to 15, says AccuWeather.

However, if we were looking at this outside the context of a historic, three-year drought, we're looking, well, not-bad.

So far for the rainy season, L.A. is looking good, with 2.30 inches of rain versus the normal 2.19 by this time of year, says the National Weather Service.

law logo2x b

Credit: NWS

Credit: NWS

Houk says we should stay ahead of the curve throughout this winter, which officially starts Dec. 21.

“The drought is so long-term, you don't erase it with one or two storms, but you start to put a dent into it,” he says. “We're forecasting above normal precipitation for the Southland in December, January and February. Lets hope it continues.”

AccuWeather, meanwhile, says this “train of storms” will bring rain to the West Coast nearly every other day this month.

It “has the potential to bring 6-12 inches of rain from northern California to western Washington state and yards of snow to the high country of the northern Sierra Nevada and Cascades,” the forecasting service says:

The storm from this past Tuesday and Wednesday was only the beginning of a pattern that will deliver moisture in the form of rain and high-country snow to the West Coast.

Have you been doing your rain dance? Be careful what you wish for.

Send feedback and tips to the author. Follow Dennis Romero on Twitter at @dennisjromero. Follow L.A. Weekly News on Twitter at @laweeklynews.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.