Santa Clarita Valley residents will be asleep for most of the latest winter storm expected to hit our area, a spokesman for the National Weather Service said today.

The winter storm forecast for today will actually hit the Santa Clarita Valley overnight and move on by Wednesday morning, Stuart Seto said this morning from the weather station in Oxnard.

“Rain and snow showers will happen in your area after midnight,” he said.

At 10 a.m. today the storm was moving through King City, southeast of Monterey, he said.

The Santa Clarita Valley can expect a sprinkling of rain for most of today.

“The big thing will be snow showers after midnight Tuesday,” he said.

By Wednesday morning, forecasters said, there will be a chance of showers with winds averaging 15 to 20 miles per hour, gusting to 35.

The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for the Santa Clarita Valley today for southwest to west winds increasing in the afternoon with gusts up to 40 mph.

That wind advisory will remain in place until 3 a.m. Wednesday, Seto said.

The wind is expected to shift to the northwest this evening before weakening some early Wednesday morning, he said.

The weather front is expected to dump a quarter of an inch of rain on the Santa Clarita Valley, he said, with snow forecast for areas as low as 2,000 feet.

A hazardous weather statement warned of low wind chill values down to near zero degrees in the mountains.

Motorists were warned that travel over mountain passes — including the Grapevine and Highway 14 — could be dangerous. Some passes could be closed down tonight.

Highs in Santa Clarita are expected to reach only 51 degrees today, with lows of 36.

Partly sunny to mostly sunny skies are expected in the Santa Clarita Valley on Wednesday and the rest of the week, with highs in the 50s to low 60s and lows ranging from the 30s to the 40s.