Freeways flooded in the Long Beach and Carson area, trees fell onto cars and houses, and more than three inches of rain fell in the South Bay area Sunday.
The southern end of the Long Beach (710) Freeway flooded, south of Willow Street, and the Harbor (110) Freeway was underwater at 223rd Street, according to CHP reports.
Miles of stopped cars clogged the 110 Freeway heading towards San Pedro. County weather gauges measured 3.4 inches of rain at Lomita, 2.9 inches at Signal Hill and 2.6 inches on the Palos Verdes peninsula.
Fire crews were dispatched to reports of people trapped in flooded vehicles on Vermont Avenue, and people were reported to be in need of rescue at a homeless encampment in a park was flooded on Pacific Coast Highway west of the Harbor (110) Freeway.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for the Long Beach and South Bay area, and said its radar and gauges detected rain falling at the rate of 3/4-inch per hour.
Inland, sheriff’s deputies went door to door to evacuate houses in hillside neighborhoods beneath burned-out slopes Sunday.
Heavy rain had moved into western Los Angeles County, and a flash flood warning issued for the entire county, by midmorning. By 2 p.m., nearly 2 inches of rain had fallen in Newhall, near where fire-denuded hillsides were threatening to send mud into adjacent neighborhoods.
Western L.A. County got the first large rains: 1.82 inches of rain at Topanga Canyon, and 2 inches of rain at Zuma Beach, had fallen by 2 p.m.
Snow was falling on the 5,700-foot summit of Mount Wilson, much lower than the predicted level early in the storm. But the snow was not expected to fall as low
The Army Corps of Engineers was making room for storm runoff from the San Gabriel Mountains and Inland Empire, by releasing water into the Santa Ana River at Prado Dam, according to Orange County firefighters. The concrete flood control channel would carry that water to the ocean near Newport Beach.
Los Angeles police said they were watching the Sepulveda Basin, where busy Burbank Boulevard by midmorning was already covered in standing water on two of the three eastbound lanes. A police sergeant said officers were ready to declare the road closed as more rain arrives.
County geologists said Saturday that the cliffs in Malibu Canyon were unsafe, and boulders might fall on the narrow two-lane linking Calabasas and Malibu. That road might be closed through the end of the week, Malibu officials said.
Residents along Kanan-Dume Road said county road scrapers were working to keep mud off that route starting at 4:30 a.m.
At Zuma Beach, fire department bulldozer drivers worked in the surfline Saturday to bolster sand berms in front of the lifeguard headquarters and restroom buildings. At high tide, waves were observed hitting the seawall.
And winds were strong, blowing form the east. Gusts above Topanga Canyon hit 44 miles per hour.
At Hermosa Beach, the pier was closed due to heavy rain and high surf. Surf up to 16 feet had been predicted overnight, but the waves were predicted to diminish.
At Santa Anita Park, Sunday’s races were cancelled. But the betting hall was kept open for hard-core fans to wager on races in sunnier climes.
“The atmospheric river continues to look strong,” said the National Weather Service. Up to six inches or rain could fall in areas near mountains, where the heavy clouds would experience uplift and shed large amounts of rain.
Between 2-4 inches of rainfall is expected in the coastal and valley areas of Los Angeles Countym and 3-6 inches could fall in the foothill and mountain areas.
But the flatlands of Orange County would get drenched, too. The NWS predicted 1.35 inches of rain for the Orange County coast this afternoon.
The National Weather Service also issued a flash flood warning for Riverside County through 5:30 p.m.
Earlier, a flood advisory had been issued for Riverside County by the NWS through 6:15 p.m., warning of likely urban and small stream flooding and minor rockslides in the mountains. River and burn areas are especially susceptible to flooding.
The heavy rain affected roads across Riverside County.
In Palm Springs, Gene Autry Trail, Araby Road, Indian Canyon Drive,Vista Chino and Golf Club Drive were all closed where they cross the Whitewater Wash.
Highway 243 was closed approximately 6.4 miles at Twin Pines Road due to a rock slide and the connector road between the 71 south and the 91 in Corona was shut down due to flooding, according to Caltrans. Flooding was also reported on Interstate 15 at Indian Truck Trail in Temescal Valley at about 2:45 p.m. by the California Highway Patrol.
Preliminary NWS data indicated that in a one hour period ending at 3 p.m. Riverside received 0.29 inches of rain, Palm Springs 0.11 inches, Beaumont 0.11 inches and Temecula 0.51 inches.
Riverside County activated its emergency operations center at 9 a.m. in response to heavy rainfall and winds in the region.
“Local officials and agencies are currently surveying Riverside County to identify the overall impact in the area,” a statement by the county’s Emergency Management Department said.
Free sandbags can be picked up at several sheriff and fire stations across the county to prepare for rising waters. The full list of distribution locations can be found at www.rivcoready.org.
Officials warned residents not to attempt to cross roads covered with water, mud or debris.
Isolated thunderstorms were also possible Monday through Tuesday in Riverside County, though rainfall is not likely to be high on Tuesday, forecasters said.
A wind advisory for Riverside County was also issued by the NWS through noon on Monday, citing “strong and potentially damaging” winds that could reach up to 40 mph. The agency warned that motorists should watch for debris and downed tree limbs and power lines on the roads. Drivers of tall vehicles such as big rigs should driver with extra precaution, the NWS said.
Throughout Southern California, radar images showed heavier rain moving ashore, as predicted, at 10 a.m. It would continue through the evening, according to NWS Meteorologist Carol Smith.
This storm is particularly moist and slow-moving, Smith said, with potential for a bigger punch than the two storms before it. The moisture is subtropical, moving in from the southwest with “a good lift over the San Gabriel Mountains.”
“We are definitely looking at possible flooding,” Smith said. A flash flood watch was issued for all of Los Angeles County Sunday through evening, with debris flows also possible in burn areas.
Periods of intense rainfall are forecast for this afternoon at rates of 1 to 1 1/2 inches per hour, she said.
The NWS issued a flash flood warning for Los Angeles County from this afternoon to the evening, with flash flooding, debris flows, landslides and rockslides due to the periods of heavy rain. `
Rainfall should diminish to showers early Monday with a slight chance of thunderstorms through the day and light showers in the afternoon, tapering off into evening, Smith said.
The weather will clear after lingering showers pass Tuesday and Wednesday through Friday should be clear and cool, with temperatures in the low to mid-60s, she said.
The drought impact of the past week’s storms could be quantified Monday, Smith said. That’s when the state’s drought update will be issued.
–City News Service and staff