LOS ANGELES (AP) – An unusually cold spring storm will bring rainfall to Southern California and snow in the higher elevations, the National Weather Service said.

Shops along trendy Melrose Avenue prepared for what workers described Saturday as the unpredictability of whether storm drains will be able to handle a deluge over a short period of time.

“Sometimes it would flood and sometimes we would get a quick scare depending on how much the water would start to rise,” boutique sales clerk Becky Vayupakparnonde told KCAL-TV in Los Angeles. “But you always have to be on the ball, actually with the sand bags being there.”

A strong low pressure system centered about 350 miles west of the California-Oregon border moved into Northern California on Saturday and was expected to deliver rain late Sunday and into Monday in Southern California, forecasters with the National Weather Service said.

Rain fell Saturday in parts of Central and Southern California and north of San Francisco.

Light showers were expected Sunday in Los Angeles County. Forecasters predicted the storm would dump about 2 inches to 4 inches of rain through Monday evening in Southern California.

Officials issued a storm watch for the mountains of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Kern and Los Angeles counties that was expected to last through Monday night. Snow levels were expected to drop to about 6,000 feet Sunday and would fall to about 5,000 feet or lower early Monday.

Snow of six to 12 inches was expected by Monday night, with up to 18 inches on higher peaks.

The snow is expected to taper off by late Monday night.

Motorists were cautioned to watch out for storm conditions in the mountains since strong winds could reduce visibility. Snow levels may drop to 4,000 feet Sunday night in Kern County, which could lead to closures of the Grapevine on Interstate 5 and the Tehachapi Pass on Highway 58 during the Monday morning commute.