Snow, rain to slam U.S. West Coast

Snow makes for dangerous driving near Sacramento, California, on Saturday

By Thom Patterson

(CNN) -- Wind, rain and snow threatened to hamper weekend activities Saturday on the U.S. West Coast. The National Weather Service issued high wind warnings for the Los Angeles and Ventura counties in California, while heavy snow and rain was predicted for Oregon and Washington.

Forecasters warned residents of Southern California to be prepared for wind gusts up to 60 mph and people in the coastal mountain ranges of Oregon and Washington to brace for 4 to 8 inches of snow.

"As has been the case with many of the storms in the region this year, it's going to have high winds and heavy precipitation," said Bruce Terry, lead forecaster for the National Weather Service.

EXTRA INFORMATION Know what to do in a winter storm

A low pressure system passing through the Pacific Northwest prompted the storm, the latest of several this season. "They've been getting pounded," Terry said. "They've been very wet this fall. It just happens to be the pattern we're in right now."

"The big key is that it's going to be windy," he added. "There certainly will be heavier rains tonight and tomorrow and heavy snow in the upper altitudes."

A separate low pressure system currently located in the Southwestern United States has generated the high winds predicted Saturday in Southern California, Terry said.

Winds in the Los Angeles area were expected to diminish somewhat late Saturday afternoon.