Across Southern California this weekend, residents are being urged to prepare for a deluge of rain and snow to begin late Sunday that is expected to lead to major flooding, widespread power outages, downed trees and a high risk of loss of life.
The powerful, multiple-day storm could drop 3 to 6 inches of rain in coastal and valley areas, and 6 to 12 inches in the mountains, with much of that downpour occurring in a 24- to 36-hour period between Sunday into Monday, the National Weather Service said.
Historically, rainfall of that magnitude has created overwhelming problems.
“There’s the potential for flooding across the L.A. Metro area,” Meteorologist Robbie Munroe said Saturday. “We’re looking at 4 to 5 inches across the area, maybe even locally higher. With that amount of rainfall, expect widespread flooding and issues. The L.A. River will likely respond pretty rapidly to this amount of rainfall.”
To prepare, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services has already positioned swift water rescue teams at both the Riverside Fire Department and the Orange County Fire Authority.
Additionally, CalOES will have five engines, two bulldozers, two additional swift water rescue teams and an overhead helicopter rescue swimmer ready to go to work in Orange County. The rescue swimmer would accompany an OCFA helicopter crew if needed, officials said.
The heavy rain will be accompanied by strong winds in many areas, blowing at 30 to 50 mph in parts of L.A. County, and reaching up to 60 to 90 mph in higher mountain areas and the 5 Freeway corridor.
Peak winds were expected in L.A. County between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, Munroe said.
Winds could blow upwards of 30 to 40 mph in parts of Orange County and the Inland Empire and as much as 60 mph in the San Bernardino Mountains.
HEAVY rain is still on the way to #SoCal.
Here are some graphics which depict timing and rainfall amounts.
– 3 to 6 inches for coasts/valleys
– 6 to 12 inches for foothills/mountains
– FLOOD WATCH remains in effect for the entire area thru Tue#TurnAroundDontDrown #CAwx pic.twitter.com/ufocPhoi9q— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) February 3, 2024
On Friday, local residents were still drying out from this week’s less intense storm – or trying to.
Mandy Garrett’s white, Model S Tesla was destroyed in Seal Beach on Thursday, Feb. 1.
“The whole alleyway where I had left my car was flooded,” said Garrett, a 45-year-old resident of Rancho Santa Margarita who works at a floral shop in Long Beach. “It was such a sign of what Mother Nature can do.”
Even after losing her car, Garrett is confident that she’s undertaken enough preparations for the coming storm system.
“You have to go with the punches,” she said.
As the system moves slowly toward Southern California from the north, Saturday should be mostly dry, except for a slight chance of rain late in the day in the far western reaches of Los Angeles County.
Rain will fall across most of the region Sunday, arriving in the L.A. area by nighttime. Forecasters said there’s a chance much of the heaviest rain could remain over Santa Barbara and Ventura counties for most of Sunday.
In the Inland Empire, most of the rain will fall Monday through Tuesday. Heavy snow is expected from Sunday to Monday, initially only above 7,000 feet, then lowering to 6,000 feet.
Those levels could drop as low as 4,500 feet by Wednesday and as low as 4,000 feet for L.A. County mountains, meteorologists said Saturday, causing potential problems for the Grapevine from Wednesday through Friday.
(1/5) Heavy rain, strong winds, & high elevation snow this week. While there are still some details with timing that need to be worked out, confidence is growing the heaviest, most widespread precipitation will occur late Sun into Mon. Additional precipitation expected Tue-Fri. pic.twitter.com/ZmGytfzM53
— NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) February 3, 2024
In San Bernardino County’s mountain communities, some residents are still recovering from the destruction caused by last year’s blizzard.
Cherie Ndei, a 36-year-old homeschool teacher who lives in Twin Peaks, said that she has still not been able to repair her roof after it was damaged last year — and that this storm is putting her family on edge.
“My husband and others who were trapped here last year have PTSD,” Ndei said. “Even a little bit of snow makes him start freaking out.”
At a news conference Friday, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass outlined preparations her administration is undertaking.
“There are indications that the coming storm could be as strong as Tropical Storm Hilary in August,” Bass said. “But we made it through Hilary.”
L.A. Street Services will have trucks on hand to assist with downed trees and blocked roads, and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority has made more vouchers available for unhoused Angelenos who need shelter from the storm, Bass said. Shelters should be open by 5 p.m. Saturday.
In Long Beach, Mayor Rex Richardson said the city has rented high-capacity pumps to have on hand where needed and officials were constructing a berm on the city’s beaches. He recommended all residents get essential travel done by Saturday night.
In a previous storm Thursday, at least three motorists’ cars got stuck in flood waters on Willow Street near the Terminal Island Freeway.
The Long Beach Fire Department will have a swift water rescue team warning the city’s homeless living along the riverbed of the dangers of potential flooding, Richardson said.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he’s mobilizing more than 8,000 people to assist with storm preparation and recovery around the state. including swift water rescue teams and urban search and rescue crews. The California National Guard is on standby to deploy to communities needing their help.
Nancy Ward, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, on Saturday warned of walking, swimming or driving in flood waters, adding that 6 inches of water can drown an adult, 12 inches can sweep away a vehicle and 2 feet could move an SUV or truck.
She also urged folks to stay inside during high winds as dangerous debris could fall from high tree limbs and the winds could lead to downed power lines.
Sheltering supplies for 40,000 people, including cots, food and water, were at the ready should they be needed, Ward said.
Shane Reichardt, spokesman for the Riverside County Emergency Management Agency, said local agencies are doing what they can to help residents prepare, especially in areas where people are still recovering from last year’s storms.
“It’s important to look at what people experienced,” Reichardt said. “As emergency managers, we always encourage people to have three to seven days’ worth of supplies on hand.”
Surf City Marathon event organizer Dan Cruz said the race, expected to draw 18,000 runners to Huntington Beach on Sunday, Feb. 4, is still planned, rain or shine.
“The forecast definitely calls for winter weather this weekend in Southern California,” he said on Friday. “Rainy races can be memorable and enjoyable with the right mindset and preparation. They’ve been training for weeks and months in preparation for the race. We are going to do our best to put on a world-class experience, no matter the conditions.”
But if changes are necessary, he added, the organizers will notify participants through email and social media.
NASCAR rescheduled Sunday’s planned doubleheader at the Coliseum to Saturday evening, with admission to the NASCAR Cup Series’ Busch Light Clash and NASCAR Mexico Series’ King Taco LA Batalla en El Coliseo now free.
Six Flags Magic Mountain will be closed Sunday.
Santa Anita Park canceled Sunday’s eight-race program due to the forecast, and a pair of graded stakes, the Grade III, $100,000 Las Virgenes and the Grade III, San Marcos, were rescheduled for Feb. 10.
Also, in anticipation of the storm, the Getty Center and Villa announced it would be closed Sunday and Monday.
Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to leave now. The area is lawfully closed to public access.https://t.co/kLvybm39S8
EVACUATION ORDER ISSUED DUE TO POSSIBLE MUD/DEBRIS FLOWS IN THE AREA OF SANTA MARIA RD. N/O TOPANGA CYN. IN EFFECT THROUGH 6:00PM 2/6/24. pic.twitter.com/4PtY5BuqBy— LASD Lost Hills Stn. (@LHSLASD) February 4, 2024
In Los Angeles County, at least one evacuation order was issued by Saturday evening for the storm, on top of some evacuation warnings.
An evacuation order was issued southeast of Calabasas in the Owen fire area for Santa Maria Road from Topanga Canyon due to high risk of mud or debris flows in the area along Santa Maria Road north of Topanga Canyon Boulevard. The order is in effect from 6 p.m. Saturday through 6 p.m. Tuesday. Additionally, the remainder of Topanga Zone 4 was under an evacuation warning.
Evacuation warnings were also in place as follows:
Agua Fire Evacuation Warning Area: For the area along Soledad Canyon Road east of Agua Dulce Canyon Road
Bobcat Fire Evacuation Warning Area: For the Juniper Hills and Valyermo areas
Lake Fire Evacuation Warning Area: For the Lake Hughes and King Canyon areas including those in the following:–20000 block of Pine Canyon Road–18000 block of Ellstree Drive–46000 block of Kings Canyon Road–18000 block of Newvale Drive–43000 block of Lake Hughes Road
And in the Fish fire evacuation warning area, the city of Duarte issued an evacuation warning for Mel Canyon Road between Fish Canyon Road and Brookridge Road.
In the city of Los Angeles, an evacuation warning was issued in the Shadow Hills area, the LA Fire Department said, for La Tuna Canyon Drive starting at Martindale to the east, Primrose to the south, Ledge to the west and Horse Haven to the north.
City News Service contributed to this report.
