Partly cloudy skies were in store for Southern California residents on Thursday, Feb. 8, with the possibility of scattered showers in Orange County and the Inland Empire — but the region was to be largely clear of widespread rain after a storm system’s final curtain call.
National Weather Service forecasters said scattered showers were possible through Friday, but the rain should be totally clear for a nice, albeit chilly, weekend.
In a week, forecasters said, temperatures should be getting back to normal for this time of year, in the mid to upper 60s in many places.
Snow levels down to about 3,200 feet were possible for Los Angeles County, leaving open the chance for complications along the 5 Freeway in the Tejon Pass. Inland Empire mountain ranges were looking at snow levels of about 4,000 feet, National Weather Service meteorologist Philip Gonsalves said.
“It’s more rain than I’ve seen in the past 30 years,” said Dennis Hacela, 73, who has lived in Franklin Canyon, north of Beverly Hills, since 1987.
Hacela had been especially concerned about the storm after losing several eucalyptus trees in his backyard during heavy rainfall and strong winds in January 2023. The trees, standing about 70 feet high, were believed to be between 80 to 100 years old. While he felt better now that the bulk of the storm had passed, Hacela expressed concern over the increase in mud slides, which had not been an issue in the past.
“All in all, you have to be thankful for what didn’t happen, versus what actually did,” Hacela said.
Nearby in Beverly Crest, Wednesday’s sunshine gave Jill Shinefield, 58, a sense of relief.
“It’s a little nerve wracking,” said the 23-year veteran of the neighborhood. “We feel fortunate and lucky that we’re not against the hillside.”
A next-door neighbor’s house was yellow-tagged due to the mudslide, meaning residents could collect belongs but not live there for now.
Far east from those residents, Parkview Nursery in Riverside, predictably, had less customers than usual.
“The business has slowed down, we didn’t open up for a day actually because it was so slow,” said Tim Traver, 65, the owner.
“We have a bit of elevation here and are well-drained so the plants are not really affected by excess water,” he added. “What we are monitoring carefully is the morning temperatures.
“Usually after rainfall, the mornings end up cold, which can affect some plants,” Traver explained. “Until the temperature drops, we need to move plants like tomatoes inside. We are waiting until the morning warms up.”
In Seal Beach on Wednesday, from the San Gabriel River to the Anaheim Bay breakwater, the beach was closed because of sewage flows. It was just the latest closure from a number of spills that have also shuttered beaches in Long Beach and San Pedro in recent days.
And a series of mudslides covered portions of Mulholland Drive in the Studio City area on Wednesday, between Skyline and Bowmont drives, forcing a lengthy closure of the popular canyon road and potentially endangering some exclusive hilltop homes.
Southern California’s continuous rainfall from Sunday through Tuesday led to high rainfall amounts: Bel-Air received more than 13 inches of rainfall and Woodland Hills wasn’t far behind at 12.62 as of 10 p.m. Tuesday, according to Weather Service data.
Lytle Creek in the San Bernardino Mountains received 14 inches, and in Orange County, Coto de Caza had received 7.40 inches as of 5 a.m. Wednesday.
In Los Angeles alone, city firefighters have responded to 520 mudslides and debris flows throughout the storm, and the city’s Public Works Department responded to 433 fallen trees and branches and more than 650 reports of potholes, city officials said on Wednesday. Firefighters also have rescued about 50 stranded motorists and swift-water teams performed five rescues.
Staff writers Laylan Connelly, Mona Darwish and Nelson Espinal and City News Service contributed to this report.
