A destructive storm that pounded the region with sometimes-torrential rain made its way out of Southern California Friday, but it left behind mud-swamped streets, inundated vehicles and other damage that could take weeks to clear.
Heavy rain pummeled most of the Southland Thursday, with the rain intensifying throughout the day and ultimately sparking flooding on numerous streets and sending mud and debris cascading from hillsides and recent burn areas is Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Altadena and Pasadena.
Record rainfall was reported in downtown Los Angeles, with 2.8 inches breaking the record for the day of 2.71 inches set in 1954. Rainfall rates topping 1 inch per hour were reported in multiple areas Thursday, well over the rate that generally triggers mud and debris flows.
The roof of a Smart & Final store in Azusa collapsed during the storm on Thursday. There were no reports of injuries to shoppers or employees at the store. A Los Angeles Fire Department SUV was pushed into the ocean by a fast-moving mudslide in the Malibu area, but the fire inspector inside managed to escape with only bumps and bruises.
The famed Duke’s restaurant in Malibu, which survived the Palisades Fire, was swamped with floodwater during Thursday’s storm. Extensive mudflows also buried much of Topanga Canyon Boulevard, which will likely take days or weeks to clear. Mud also swamped parts of Malibu Canyon and Pacific Coast Highway — roadways that were closed prior to the storm’s arrival.
PCH will be closed indefinitely between Chautauqua Boulevard in Pacific Palisades and Carbon Beach Terrace in Malibu. Malibu Canyon was closed between Piuma Road and Adamson Flats.
In the Hollywood Hills, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported a debris flow Thursday afternoon that parked 8 inches of mud on Mulholland Drive. No injuries were reported, but crews scrambled to ensure the safety of structures above and below the slide area.
In Altadena, multiple vehicles could be seen stuck in mud that inundated multiple streets.
Despite the damage, no significant injuries were reported from the storm.
The cleanup efforts were already under way Friday, as the powerful storm system pushed to the east and skied cleared to make way for much-needed sunshine, accompanied by some gusty winds, mainly in the mountains and Antelope Valley.
Temperatures will remain cool, although most areas will be 3 to 6 degrees warmer than they were Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
“Saturday will be quite the pleasant day,” according to the NWS. “Weak offshore flow from both the north and east will keep the low clouds away and bring some light compressional warming to the coasts/valleys. … Almost all areas will warm 3 to 6 degrees, locally 8 degrees. This will push most max temps up into the mid to upper 60s.”
All Malibu campuses in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District were closed Friday “due to road closures and weather concerns.” District officials closed schools Thursday because of the weather conditions. Pepperdine University was holding classes remotely Friday.
Evacuation warnings that were issued in areas near the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires were expected to officially expire at 2 p.m. Friday. Several hundreds individual homes were under mandatory evacuation orders on Thursday due to their particular proximity to flood-prone areas.
But even with evacuations lifted, navigating the storm-ravaged areas will prove difficult. In Altadena, stretches of multiple streets were still closed Friday, including Altadena Drive, Braeburn Road, Mendocino Street, and Homewood Drive. Glendora Mountain Road was also closed in the Angeles National Forest.