Hurricane Rachel leaves forecasters stunned as it gains strength toward Pacific coast what it means for California

Southern California is about to go from record-breaking heat to tropical storm misery, with the remnants of Hurricane Rachel barreling toward the region this weekend — bringing heavy rain, thunderstorms, coastal flooding and potentially 15-foot waves.After baking in triple-digit temperatures for days, SoCal could get its first taste of the rainy season Sunday as Rachel gets ripped apart by a powerful low-pressure system off the California coast and sends a slug of tropical moisture north.“Please beware of sudden changes in our weather from extreme heat to tropical weather,” meteorologist Jason D.Farhang warned Wednesday.Rachel is expected to weaken into a post-tropical system before reaching Southern California, meaning the biggest threat won’t be hurricane-force winds but rather heavy rain, thunderstorms and dangerous surf.“Rain and possible isolated strong to severe thunderstorms are going to be developing by Sunday late afternoon into Monday night,” Farhang said.And the coast could get especially nasty.“Large waves are going to crash along the coastal zones with wave heights of 10 to 12 feet maybe even a rogue wave up to 15 feet along San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, and Orange Counties all the way down to Ensenada, Mexico,” Farhang said.“Coastal flooding is very likely starting from Sunday at 11 AM to Wednesday at 6 PM,” he added.Meteorologist Ben Brissey said Rachel’s remnants are increasingly likely to impact Southern California and that means a potentially badly needed soaking.Showers could begin as early as Saturday night, followed by widespread rain and isolated thunderstorms Sunday, with the heaviest rainfall expected south and east of Los Angeles.Rainfall totals could reach a quarter-inch to half an inch across much of Southern California, with up to an inch possible along lower coastal slopes and mountains.

Some weather models, however, are showing totals ranging from just a tenth of an inch to as much as 2 inc...