After a brief round of rain late last week, Southern California is heading into another stretch of changing weather, with increasing winds expected late this week and a slight chance of light rain returning early next week.

Wednesday has brought plenty of sunshine across the region, with mild coastal temperatures in the mid-60s from Oxnard to Santa Monica and warmer inland highs reaching the mid-70s in areas like Riverside, San Bernardino and the Antelope Valley, KTLA meteorologist Kaj Goldberg said.

Cloud cover is expected to increase Thursday as a weather system moves into the region, though most areas are expected to remain dry through the end of the week.

Gusty northwest winds are forecast to develop Thursday before shifting to northeast winds, otherwise known as Santa Ana winds, on Friday and into the weekend. Wind gusts of 35 to 50 mph are possible across parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with isolated gusts up to 65 mph possible in higher elevations, including the San Gabriel, Santa Susana and Santa Monica mountains.

Those winds could create difficult driving conditions for high-profile vehicles, especially in mountain passes, while unsecured outdoor items could be blown around and tree limbs may be downed in stronger gusts.

Offshore flow developing Friday could also bring warmer temperatures to coastal communities heading into the weekend, with beach highs expected to climb into the 70s by Saturday.

Looking ahead, forecasters say the next chance of rain will likely arrive sometime between Monday and Wednesday of next week, though confidence remains low and precipitation totals are expected to be light if showers develop.

Current projections show the best chance for light rain occurring late Tuesday into early Wednesday, though the system is still developing and could shift in timing or strength in the coming days.

The potential for additional rain comes roughly a week after the region saw brief showers from a late-season storm, continuing a pattern of occasional spring weather systems moving through California.

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