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Powerful storm floods roadways, but brings less rain than expected
Environment Jan 05, 2023
Rain over Los Angeles. | Photo courtesy of Nathan Gibbs/Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
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A strong Pacific storm doused Southern California with rain Thursday, flooding roadways across the Southland and some freeways, while also battering some areas with strong winds and raising fears of debris flows in some recent burn areas.
The main front of the “bomb cyclone” moved into the area overnight, but forecasters said the storm wound up marching across the region much faster than anticipated, which “greatly reduced the amount of rainfall through the area,” according to the National Weather Service.
“In general, 1 to 3 inches of rain has fallen,” NWS forecasters said around 9 a.m.
But showers were expected to continue throughout the day, with forecasters saying thunderstorms will be possible in some areas, accompanied by isolated downpours.
While the overnight rain was lighter than anticipated, it still managed to cause some flooding and make for a hazardous morning commute.
Flooding in the Sepulveda Basin forced the closure of multiple roads in that area early Thursday morning, helping to snarl traffic in the San Fernando Valley. A stretch of the northbound Long Beach (710) Freeway was temporarily closed at Artesia Boulevard due to flooding, with some reports indicating 3 to 4 feet of water had accumulated on the roadway.
Flooding was also reported on the Golden State (5) Freeway in the Sun Valley area, forcing some lane closures.
A rockslide forced the closure of westbound lanes of Pacific Coast Highway at Big Rock Drive in the Malibu area. Decker Canyon Road was also closed temporarily between PCH and Decker School Road due to a rockslide, according to the city of Malibu and Caltrans. Flooding was also reported on PCH near Temescal Canyon Road, while power lines and trees were reported down in the 700 block of Old Topanga Canyon Road in the hills south of Calabasas.
Mud and debris also inundated some streets in the Palmdale area, including Lake Hughes and Pine Canyon roads, according to the sheriff’s department.
NWS forecasters said any thunderstorms that develop later Thursday morning and afternoon could produce some localized flooding. But a flood advisory covering Los Angeles County was expected to expire at 11 a.m. Thursday. A wind advisory was canceled at 6 a.m.
A winter storm warning, however, will remain in effect until 10 p.m. Thursday for the Los Angeles County mountains.
Snow levels, while remaining mostly above 7,000 as of Thursday morning, could fall as low as 5,500 feet Thursday afternoon and evening, according to the NWS. A total of 1 to 2 feet are expected at higher elevations, with 3 to 6 inches anticipated above 6,000 feet.
“While major mountain passes will be snow-free, roadways above 6,000 feet will see hazardous driving conditions with accumulating snow,” according to the NWS.
“While it will be a mostly cloudy day there may be a few peaks of sunshine this afternoon. It will be a cool day with max temps coming in a couple of degrees either side of 60s across the coasts and valleys or 4 to 8 degrees below normal,” forecasters said. “The showers will taper off and come to an end tonight.”
Along the coasts, a high surf advisory will remain in effect until 10 a.m. Friday, with forecasters warning of dangerous rip currents and surf building as high as 12 feet at some beaches.
Friday should be mostly dry, with temperatures rising by 3 to 6 degrees, but a weaker storm system could bring another chance of rain by Sunday. Still more rain is possible early next week, with dry conditions anticipated mid-week, and another storm system likely be late next week.
The dire predictions of possible damage from Thursday’s storm led to ramped-up preparations across the Southland.
In Duarte, city officials declared a Yellow Alert for about two dozen homes near the Fish Fire burn area, imposing restrictions to keep cars and trash bins off streets that could potentially flood.
Many cities also handed out sandbags to residents to help them protect their properties from potential flooding and mud flows.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, declared a state of emergency across California to expedite anticipated damage repair. The state also pre-positioned fire and rescue crews across the state to quickly respond to flooding or other emergencies.
The state urged residents to be prepared for the storm, and anticipate power outages by having flashlights and batteries on hand.
The NWS warned that “many power outages are nearly certain, and could be prolonged by the concurrent heavy rain. Plan ahead now for what you would do if the power was out for several hours.”
With rain falling, Los Angeles County health officials issued their standard warning for people to avoid entering ocean water near discharging storm drains, creeks and rivers. An ocean water quality rain advisory will be in effect until at least 7 a.m. Friday.
Health officials noted that stormwater runoff that reaches the ocean can carry bacteria, chemicals, debris trash and other health hazards. People who come in contact with impacted water in the ocean could become ill, health officials said.
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