A powerful storm system slammed the Southland with heavy rain, high winds and mountain snow, leading to flooded roadways, dangerous driving conditions and even some evacuations in Orange County due to mud and debris flows.
By early Tuesday afternoon, more than 2 inches of rain had fallen in downtown Los Angeles, more than doubling the record for the date set in 1888, according to the National Weather Service.
More than 2 inches also fell in Beverly Hills and Bel Air, while Woodland Hills received more than 4.5 inches and La Cañada Flintridge received about 3.5 inches. Areas such as Calabasas, Porter Ranch and Agoura Hills all got nearly 3 inches — all before noon. Some mountain areas in L.A. County received between 5 and 6 inches.
The rain fell so hard in Orange County that the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning around 11 a.m. for the Bond Fire burn area, prompting a mandatory evacuation order for Modjeska, Silverado and Williams canyons. Those canyons were previously under a voluntary evacuation warning, but the sudden downpour — with rain falling a rate of 0.5 to 0.75 inches per hour — prompted the more urgent call for residents to leave the area.
The flash flood warning was allowed to expire at 12:30 p.m., with forecasters saying the heavy rain had subsided, and “flooding is no longer expected to pose a threat.” The evacuation order was lifted six hours later.
But the damage had already been done. The NWS reported more than a half-dozen debris flows had occurred in the Bond Fire burn area. Santiago Creek and Jackson Creek roads were both reported to be blocked by water, mud and debris. Orange County Fire Authority crews conducted several rescues of residents who were trapped by the flows, but no injuries were reported.
Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Carrie Braun said crews were working to clear debris from roads in the area, but some “hard road closures” remained in place on thoroughfares into the canyons.
A less-severe flash flood watch was in effect for most of the day in recent burn areas in Los Angeles County, including the Bobcat, Ranch 2, Dam, Lake and Palisades fires. That flood watch expired as planned at 6 p.m., with forecasters warning that localized downpours were still possible, potentially dropping as much as an inch of rain per hour.
A flood advisory was in effect for most of Los Angeles due to the potential for “minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas.” But that advisory was allowed to expire at 3:15 p.m. as the rain let up.
Meanwhile, the storm also brought high winds, with gusts up to 73 mph recorded in some mountain areas and from 30 to 45 mph in coastal and valley areas.
Snow also fell in the mountains at elevations of 6,000 to 7,000 feet. Forecasters said earlier that as much as 3 feet of snow could accumulate in the mountains. By early afternoon, snow flurries were occurring along the Grapevine in northern Los Angeles County, making driving treacherous on Interstate 5.
Reports of flooding amassed throughout the morning rush hour. In northern Los Angeles County, a stretch of Lake Hughes Road had to be closed due to mud and debris that cascaded over the roadway in Castaic.
Near Los Angeles International Airport, stormwater flooded at least one southbound lane of the Sepulveda Boulevard tunnel, leading to traffic delays as crews worked to clear the water.
Fire crews were on high alert near the Los Angeles River, which was filled with a rushing torrent of water as the storm continued. Around 9 a.m., firefighters responded to the river near Washington Boulevard near Vernon due to a car that went into the water. Within an hour, two more vehicles were in the water in the same area.
Uncertain if anyone was in the vehicles, fire crews staged downstream in Compton and Long Beach in search of potential victims, but none were found.
One person who got trapped by the rushing water was plucked from the river Tuesday morning in the Sylmar area.
Traffic signals were knocked out of service on Pacific Coast Highway from Coastline to Cross Creek in the Malibu area, where officials reported multiple transformer explosions caused by the storm.
In Monrovia, city officials proclaimed a local emergency due to “significant” mud and debris flows that displaced rocks and boulders in Canyon Park that damaged roads, parking areas and utility systems. The flowing debris also caused a water main break in Canyon Park, which was already closed and will remain shuttered indefinitely.
Power outages were also reported throughout the area. By mid-morning, customers were reporting outages in an array of areas covered by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, including El Sereno, Highland Park, Westwood and Studio City.
Southern California Edison reported outages affecting more than 6,000 customers throughout Los Angeles County Tuesday morning, but that number was down to about 1,600 by early afternoon. It was unclear how many of them were storm-related.
The rain kept falling through the afternoon, tapering off by late afternoon and leading to a dry Wednesday, before a much smaller, much weaker storm moves into the area Thursday.
Health officials advised the public not to swim or surf in ocean waters at and around discharging storm drains, creeks and rivers after significant rainfall due to a possible increase in bacteria, chemicals, debris, trash and other public health hazards.