How much rain will Los Angeles get?

Powerful storms generated by a weather system known as an “atmospheric river” unleashed heavy rain on Northern California but are weakening by the time they arrive in Los Angeles.

The string of storms could start to help turn around California’s drought, dumping up to 20 feet of snow at Southern California’s favorite ski resort, Mammoth Mountain. In Northern California, Highway 50 in the Sierras closed down and the historic Pioneer Cabin Tree, which was hollowed out in the 1800s to let tourists to pass through, collapsed.

But as the storm moved into Southern California overnight it softened up. The Inland Empire got a good soaking, but the system “lost a little of its oomph” as it exited San Bernardino county, the National Weather Service said.

The the heaviest rainfall was expected by mid-morning Monday in LA. In the metro area, rainfall totals ranged from .16 inches in to .45 inches by 4 a.m.

A second storm will trigger more rain Tuesday night, possibly into Thursday, but the Central Coast will bear the brunt of it, according to the Weather Service. “When all is said and done,” Weather Service meteorologists predict Ventura and Los Angeles counties “will see around a half inch.”

Still, it has been enough to raise the Los Angeles River to more than a trickle, and Los Angeles police officers are warning homeless people who live along the riverbed to seek shelter elsewhere.

For more on the storm, dive into our coverage here.

• 5 things to know about the massive storm headed to California [Curbed LA]
• California storm damage scenes across San Francisco [Curbed SF]