Rain To Get Worse Across Southern California
Rain across Southern California that has caused flooding, mudslides, traffic accidents, power outages and other problems could stick around through Christmas, according to the National Weather Service.
“A wet pattern is expected to continue across the area through Wednesday,” the Weather Service said in a statement.
“The additional rainfall will continue to bring driving and flooding issues to the area. Also, snow levels will begin to lower on Tuesday, with some significant snow accumulation possible Tuesday and Wednesday at the higher elevations.”
Click here for flight information and traffic conditions before you head out the door.
On Sunday, Palm Springs International Airport saw only .09 inches of rain, but that number swelled overnight. It made travel difficult for some people trying to head out and shop or more important out of town.
There will also be a threat of thunderstorms Tuesday night and Wednesday. While Thursday is expected to be dry, on Friday, another storm system is expected to approach the area, which will bring another threat of significant rainfall on Christmas Day.
During Sunday’s rain, city of Los Angeles emergency crews dealt with rockslides, mudflows and other problems in the Hollywood Hills, where nearly 5 inches of rain fell in 36 hours.
About 25 families were trapped in their homes for a time when the rain caused debris and runoff water to flood the 2500 block of Astral Drive, in the Nichols Canyon area on Mount Olympus, according to the city fire department.
One family was given 10 minutes to leave their home because the foundation was threatened, and crews rushed to clear the street, where one resident was nine months pregnant, a local TV station reported.
“When we get significant rainfall, we get kind of these significant mudslides which are large both in scope and volume and pose a threat to public safety,” city fire Battalion Chief Joe Castro told the TV station.
The rain also caused a tree to topple onto a home in Woodland Hills, according to the city fire department.
The tree fell this afternoon on a home in the 20300 block of West Lander Drive, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
At the time, the family inside was watching a Christmas movie, but no one was injured, and most of the damage was to the roof and ceiling, the station reported.
Emergency crews got the tree off the roof and the family was allowed to return to the home, the TV station reported.
Rockfalls and scattered minor flooding was also reported in the mountains above Malibu, here a long stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway was shut down.
About 2,100 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers in the area around North Figueroa Street and York Boulevard were without electricity overnight due to a storm-related outage, but service was restored about 6 a.m., a utility spokeswoman said.
Smaller, scattered outages occurred, including a cluster in Sherman Oaks, and passengers using the Metro Gold Line between the Southwest Museum Station and Del Mar Station should expect minor delays the next couple of weeks as the transportation agency fixes a power problem that may have been weather- related.
Some of the heaviest rain fell from western Malibu across the Santa Monica Mountains and San Fernando Valley to the La Crescenta Valley, near the Station Fire devastation, but so far, no major debris flows have occurred there.
Between 4 p.m. Saturday and today, Culver City recorded 3 inches of the wet stuff, downtown Los Angeles 3.05 inches, Westwood 2.87 inches, Pasadena 3.45 inches, and San Gabriel 3.2 inches, according to the Weather Service.
Wet pavement took its toll. The California Highway Patrol tallied 355 crashes on Los Angeles County freeways and non-city roads between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m., compared to last weekend’s 42 problems on dry pavement.
During Saturday’s rain, two people were killed on the Golden State (5) Freeway in Newhall in a crash blamed on a car that hydroplaned on the slick pavement.
The heaviest rain along the coast caused comparatively few problems beyond the scattered power poles, fallen trees, and mountain rockfalls.
The only road closures in Los Angeles County were the winding routes between La Canada-Flintridge and Palmdale, including Angeles Forest Highway, which were closed as precautions. On the Grapevine, gusty winds and rain were reported.
