STORM EXPECTED TO STRIKE TONIGHT.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

A second Arctic storm will hit Southern California tonight, bringing heavy rain that should bring this year's level to 20 times above normal, forecasters said Monday.

The Pacific cold front could drop 1 to 3 inches of rain in the San Fernando Valley, 1 to 3 inches along the coast and up to 8 inches in the mountains through Wednesday. Winds could reach 25 mph to 35 mph with gusts of 45 mph ahead of the storm.

``It's similar to the storm last week, only faster,'' said Bruck Rockwell, a weather specialist for the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

``Our biggest concern is: Keep driving to a minimum.''

A series of Pacific storms last week dropped nearly 3 inches of rain on downtown Los Angeles, almost 10 times the 0.37-of-an-inch seasonal year-to-date average.

Heavy rainfall also threatens to cause flash floods in areas burned in the firestorm last October. County fire officials have issued warnings and sandbags to affected residents.

On Monday, trace amounts of rain were reported in Burbank, Van Nuys and downtown Los Angeles.

The new storm system swept down the coast out of the Gulf of Alaska and will likely blanket the state with rain and possibly obscure a lunar eclipse Wednesday evening.

The moon, if visible, is predicted to be eclipsed at 6:14 p.m. - turning from pale white to pumpkin orange to eerie blood red.

Forecasters predict a 50 percent chance of rain over Southern California tonight, with an 80 percent chance Wednesday morning, tapering off to a chance of showers in the evening.

The storm could cause temperatures Wednesday to drop to the high 40s, with highs in the high 50s.

Snow should cover mountain ski areas, dropping between 4 and 10 inches between 5,000 and 7,000 feet and between 12 and 20 inches above 7,000 feet.

Despite cold, wet weather, officials said Monday that winter shelters for the homeless will still not open until Dec. 1 as scheduled.

It was a year ago today that a fast-moving brush fire began sweeping through Ventura and Los Angeles counties, eventually blackening 100,000 acres from Simi Valley to Stevenson Ranch and torching nearly 40 homes.

In all, wildfires last fall burned more than 750,000 acres, destroyed 3,710 homes and killed 24 people in Southern California.

A record-setting heat wave last October pushed temperatures over 100 degrees in some areas, with hot Santa Ana winds hampering firefighting efforts.

With not a drop of rain for six months until last week's downpour, Los Angeles County fire officials were concerned about a repeat of last year's firestorms.

``(Rain is) always helpful,'' said county fire Inspector Ron Haralson. ``But we're just getting the rain in bunches, like grapes, instead of spread out.

``With the five-year drought, we're way behind as far as our fuel moisture, and we're just starting to get caught up.''

Dana Bartholomew, [phone]

dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com