Lingering rain is expected to continue falling over Southern California into Tuesday, but not quite as intensely as Saturday’s downpour, a meteorologist said Sunday.
“The heaviest cell of rain has passed,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Todd Hall said. “There will be showers, heavy at times, through the weekend into Tuesday.”
Saturday’s storm from the Gulf of Alaska tapped into a sub-tropic band of moisture that stretched to Hawaii, he said. That amplified the moisture and kept temperatures warmer. Now the colder Alaskan air is pushing through and highs in the coming days will be in the mid-to-upper 50s, Hall said.
A high-surf advisory remains in effect at Orange County beaches until 11 a.m. Monday, and a flash-flood watch will remain in the burn areas of Los Angeles County through 7 a.m. Monday, he said.
In Malibu, Mulholland Highway was closed Sunday between Pacific Coast Highway and Highway 23 because of rocks and mudslides.
Saturday’s storm activity brought heavy rain and winds, shutting down roads and freeways, threatening mud and debris flows in recent burn areas and prompting a flash flood warning for parts of Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Coastal and valley areas received more than 1 inch of rain per hour during peak rainfall, according to the NWS.
In the recent Woolsey Fire burn area, officials issued mandatory evacuation orders for Seminole Springs Mobile Home Estates in Agoura Hills and Paseo Canyon Malibu West in Malibu.
The city of Burbank issued voluntary evacuation orders for residents of Country Club Drive above Via Montana, beginning at 5 a.m. Saturday and continuing through at least 4 p.m. By Saturday afternoon, Walnut Avenue east of Sunset Canyon, and Harvard Road east of Bel Aire Drive, were closed to all except residents.
Authorities lifted all evacuation orders for the Woolsey fire zone and for Burbank around 5 p.m. Saturday
Orange County sheriff’s also issued mandatory evacuation orders for the residents within the Trabuco Creek area. However, Orange county sheriff’s lifted all evacuation orders in Orange County about 7 p.m.
In Anaheim, a family of three narrowly escaped serious injuries Saturday when a tree toppled over their car as they were driving, a fire chief said. The oak tree fell as the family was heading south on Loara Street near Crone Avenue about 1:40 p.m., Anaheim Battalion Chief Kevin Stewart said.
A man, his pregnant wife and an elderly female relative were inside the car. The man and his wife made their way out of the car but the other woman was trapped inside the vehicle for about 10 minutes, Stewart said.
“We had to cut away some limbs to get her out of the vehicle,” Stewart continued. “She suffered some minor injuries but was not transported to a hospital. The pregnant woman was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital for a checkup.”
Caltrans tweeted: “Do not try to pass through flood waters. 6 inches of fast-moving flood water can knock over an adult, 12 inches of rushing water will carry away a small car, and 2 feet of rushing water will carry away most vehicles. Be smart. Be safe.”