Another storm system pushed into the already saturated Southland Wednesday, leading to a wet morning commute and raising fears of mud and debris flows, with another wave of precipitation expected Wednesday evening and continuing into Thursday.
“Steady rain with the cold front ended earlier today (Wednesday) and this afternoon we are in a lull period awaiting the colder and more unstable part of the storm to arrive,” according to the National Weather Service.
Forecasters said “short periods of heavy rain are likely” with the second wave of the storm, but the showers will likely be “very scattered,” so rainfall totals could vary dramatically depending on location. But in general, between a quarter-inch and 1 inch of additional rain is anticipated before the storm departs on Thursday, “with the mountains expected to be in the higher part of that range.”
Forecasters said the snow level had fallen to about 4,000 feet Wednesday morning, bringing a mix of rain and snow to higher elevations. The level will fall to around 3,500 feet Wednesday night, likely leading to several inches of snow falling at higher elevations.
“Snow is likely over the Grapevine on Interstate 5 (Wednesday night) with light accumulations — 2 inches or less — expected,” according to the NWS.
The new round of rain again increased concerns about already-saturated ground giving away in the form of mudslides. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded shortly after 8 a.m. to a roughly quarter-acre mudslide in the Beverly Crest area that blocked at least two residential driveways. No injuries were reported and no major structural damage was detected.
In northern Los Angeles County, a landslide that began last week along the southbound Golden State (5) Freeway north of Templin Highway began to expand thanks to the new precipitation, swallowing some of the pavement on the freeway shoulder and advancing toward the actual traffic lanes. Caltrans closed off the two right lanes of the freeway late last week due to the advancing slide.
A winter storm warning will be in effect until 2 p.m. Thursday in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains, with a total of 6 to 12 inches of snow possible above 5,000 feet. Forecasters said some higher peaks could see up to 18 inches, with the snow accompanied by winds gusting up to 45 mph.
The western San Gabriel Mountains and Antelope Valley (14) Freeway corridor will be under a winter weather advisory until 2 p.m. Thursday, with 4 to 8 inches of snow possible above 5,000 feet. The advisory will also be in place during the same hours for the Golden State (5) Freeway corridor in northern Los Angeles County, where an inch of snow could fall on the Grapevine.
The storm system is expected to move out of the area by late Thursday, with dry but cool conditions anticipated for Friday and the weekend.