After multiple days of sometimes-heavy downpours, a holiday storm that dumped more than a foot of rain in some mountain areas was finally exiting the region Friday, although officials warned that some showers will still be possible, and the threat of mudslides will linger even after the rain subsides.
“We’re on the backside of the storm now and rainfall is starting to taper off, but some isolated moderate to heavy showers are still possible through at least this afternoon,” according to the National Weather Service. “Flood watches and advisories remain in effect as it won’t take much additional rain to create flooding issues today, especially in the mountains where some areas have received close to 18 inches of rain since Tuesday.”
As of Friday morning, roughly 3.7 inches of rain had fallen over the course of the multi-day storm in downtown Los Angeles, but other areas saw much more. More than 4 inches fell in Bel Air, nearly 7 inches in Canoga Park and more than 8 inches in the Newhall area.
Numbers were noticeably higher in the mountains, where 15.6 inches were recorded at Crystal Lake, 13.5 inches at San Gabriel Dam and nearly 10 inches in Warm Springs, according to the NWS.
Although the rain appeared to be moving out of the area, evacuation warnings remained in effect Friday around most recent burn areas across the county, along with evacuation orders for select properties near fire zones deemed to be at particularly high risk of mudslides or debris flows. Evacuation orders were issued earlier this week for about 380 homes across the county, according to county Public Works Director Mark Pestrella.
A separate evacuation order was also issued for the Riverwood neighborhood in the Sunland-Tujunga area due a release of water from the Tujunga Dam by county public works crews. Authorities said the release was conducted to prevent flooding in the surrounding area.
Mandatory evacuation orders that had been issued Wednesday morning in Orange County for Trabuco Creek, Bell Canyon and Hot Springs Canyon were lifted on Wednesday night.
A flash flood warning that had been in effect for most of the region was allowed to expire early Friday morning. A less severe flood watch, however, will remain in effect until 6 p.m. Friday. Authorities noted that even though rain was tapering off, saturated hillsides could still give way to mudslides or debris flows well after precipitation ends.
Dry conditions are expected to return by Saturday, although temperatures will still be mostly in the upper 50s. Warmer temperatures should begin on Sunday, with forecasters predicting at least a 3- to 6-degree warmup, although highs will still remain below normal. Santa Ana winds are then anticipated on Monday and Tuesday.
Long-term, forecasters said there’s another chance of rain in the area next Thursday and Friday. While not as strong as the current storm, the system could bring another 2 to 3 inches of rain to mountains and foothills, according to the NWS.
The storm system kept first-responders busy over the past few days. At least four river-rescue operations were conducted by the Los Angeles Fire Department, and the Los Angeles Police Department responded to more than 350 traffic crashes as of Thursday night. Los Angeles city crews also responded to more than 600 tree-related calls, including downed trees and fallen branches.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office, Los Angeles County and the city of Los Angeles all issued emergency proclamations due to the storm, freeing up resources to respond to damage.
The bulk of the storm’s precipitation fell on Wednesday, setting daily records for that date in various areas, including:
— 1.88 inches at LAX, breaking the previous record of 1.60 inches set in 1971;
— 3.42 inches at Hollywood/Burbank Airport, breaking the previous record of 2.29 inches set in 1971;
— 3.98 inches in Woodland Hills, breaking the previous record of 2.91 inches set in 1971;
— 2.11 inches in Lancaster, breaking the previous record of 1.42 inches set in 1971; and
— 1.73 inches at Palmdale Airport, breaking the previous record of 1.32 inches set in 1971.
For downtown Los Angeles, the total rainfall of 2.59 inches of rain through noon Thursday made the Christmas Eve-Christmas Day holiday period the wettest since 3.24 inches fell in 1971, according to the NWS.
The rain was accompanied by powerful winds that reached 80 mph in some areas. Less intense winds were predicted for Thursday, with gusts topping out at 45 to 50 mph in the Antelope Valley.