A strong atmospheric river moving inland Wednesday night through Friday will bring widespread rain, mountain snow, and gusty winds across California.

Southern California is bracing for heavy rain, gusty winds and cooler temperatures as a Pacific storm, fed by an atmospheric river, moves inland through the region.

Rain in the valley should begin tapering off into scattered showers by Thursday afternoon. This is when the focus of this storm shifts to snowfall in the Sierra by the evening. A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for elevations above 5,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada from 1 a.m. Thursday through 4 a.m. Friday.

With an atmospheric river set to arrive in Southern California, precautionary evacuation warnings have been issued in recent wildfire burn areas.

An atmospheric river will hit Southern California this weekend, bringing heavy rain and the threat of flash floods to Los Angeles.

The incoming storm is expected to make landfall in San Diego County late Thursday and clear out by midday Friday.

AccuWeather's Ken Clark says a powerful storm system from the Pacific will bring drenching rainfall and an increased risk of flash flooding and mudslides to Southern California this weekend.

Over 22 million people in Southern California are under a flood watch as a West Coast storm could slam burn scar areas, bringing potential mudslides, debris flows and excessive rainfall. Evacuation warnings are now in place through Friday evening for the following burn scar areas: Canyon,