Good morning, SoCal. Here's what you need to know today.
Your Weather Planner
Skies over Socal will start out mostly clear, but clouds will increase and thicken up throughout the day. From the deserts to the coast, temperatures will start out in the 40s and 50s with 30s in the mountains.
By evening, skies will be cloudy and we will have slight chances for a light shower or two. Overnight, a cold front will traverse SoCal bringing rain for most of SoCal, especially west of the mountains. Thunderstorms are a possibility, too.
Snow levels will drop to around 6,000 feet where the higher elevations will get about two to four inches of snow.
Gusty westerly winds will continue through the mountains, passes and deserts especially this afternoon through the overnight hours and tomorrow.
Get your 7-day forecast: LA West | LA East | San Fernando Valley/Ventura County | Orange County
Around SoCal
1. LA County health officials urge COVID caution as students return from spring break
Los Angeles County health officials urged parents and students to be vigilant as classes resume following spring break to protect against spread of COVID-19, calling on anyone showing signs of illness to stay home and announcing plans for school-based vaccination clinics across the region.
County health officials had been reporting rises in school-based outbreaks in recent weeks, although the numbers fell due to spring break.
With classes back in session, the county plans to operate 171 school-based vaccination clinics this week, offering pediatric doses for those aged 5 - 11 and regular doses and boosters for those 12 and older.
The county reported 15 new COVID-19-related deaths on Wednesday, lifting the cumulative death toll to 31,899. Another 1,146 cases were also reported, raising the total from throughout the pandemic to 2,855,687.
2. Mountain lion struck and killed on 405 Freeway
A mountain lion was struck and killed Thursday near a major freeway near Brentwood.
Officers from the California Highway Patrol received a call just before 1 a.m. about an animal lying of the southbound San Diego ( 405) Freeway south of Getty Center Drive exit, CHP confirmed.
The collision briefly closed the freeway.
It was unknown if the mountain lion was the popular but rarely seen P-22 cat, who attained worldwide fame for his penchant for crossing major freeways.
3. Orange County's COVID vaccinations see modest increase
Orange County saw a modest increase in COVID-19 vaccinations over the past week, according to data released Wednesday by the Orange County Health Care Agency.
The number of vaccines administered in Orange County increased from 2,286,755 last week to 2,300,191, according to data updated Wednesday.
Orange County CEO Frank Kim told City News Service last week that the level of vaccinations actually went down that week due to a change in the way the state is accounting for the data, but it's not entirely clear why there has been a fluctuation in the data.
But officials suspect it may have to do with an improved accounting of how many people were inoculated in Orange County, but live elsewhere, Kim said. It is also possible that some residents got inoculated once in Orange County and got another shot outside the county, he added.
4. Ohtani overpowers in 2-way performance, Angels blank Astros
Two-way star Shohei Ohtani pitched perfect ball into the sixth inning, tied a career-best with 12 strikeouts and also had two hits and two RBIs to lead the Los Angeles Angels over the Houston Astros 6-0 Wednesday night.
Ohtani (1-2) didn't allow a baserunner until Jason Castro lined a single to center field with one out in the sixth — it was his first hit of the season, and the only one Houston got in the game. Rookie Jeremy Peña walked with two outs to elicit a visit to the mound before Ohtani retired Michael Brantley on a groundout with his final pitch.
The reigning AL MVP made history Wednesday before he even took the mound. He batted twice in a six-run first inning as the Angels sent 10 to the plate — that made him the first starting pitcher since at least 1900 to bat twice in the first before throwing a pitch, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The Angels have a day off Thursday before returning home to host the Orioles.
Around the Nation
1. Fewest Americans collecting jobless aid since 1970
2. This Earth Day, Biden faces 'headwinds' on climate agenda
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Don't Miss This
Only on Spectrum News 1
Dancing syringe aims to boost vaccination rates in Orange County
Some outreach workers at Latino Health Access in Santa Ana are dressing up to help increase vaccination rates among Latinos.
They'll go into schools, neighborhoods and other events — anywhere they can get the message across to the Latino community: Get vaccinated.
“People were taking pictures and coming in and dancing, and this is how they get engaged. It’s a lot easier than just being behind a table and passing out a flyer,” said Loreta Ruiz, COVID director of strategic operations for Latino Health Access.
Click the link above to find out more.
SoCal Snapshot
Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman (5) and Mookie Betts (50) celebrate a win over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday in LA. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)