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Heavy rain pounded Los Angeles on Monday as four Southern California counties were placed under flood watches, just two weeks after a severe winter storm devastated the region with severe flooding and mudslides.
of national weather bureau Large swaths of Los Angeles County’s inland coast were placed under flood watch until Wednesday. A flash flood warning was in effect Monday for the west side of Los Angeles and the Santa Monica Mountains until 6 p.m.
Flood warnings were also issued for the San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley and the Eastern Santa Monica Mountains.
“The main flooding threat will be today and tomorrow,” AccuWeather meteorologist Joseph Bauer told USA TODAY on Monday.
The storm could dump up to 5 inches of rain and produce “damaging” winds of up to 60 mph, the weather service said. Several feet of snow and up to 8 inches of rain are possible in the mountains.
The storm moved into the Central Valley late Sunday and spread south, flooding San Diego, according to AccuWeather. Bauer said Monday’s rain will blanket areas in the northwest Los Angeles Basin, with the heaviest rain hitting Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
“Water levels have already risen several inches around Santa Barbara, and there are reports of flash flooding in Santa Barbara itself and in the foothills,” Bauer said.
The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services activated its operations center over the weekend, deploying personnel and equipment to the areas most at risk.
Several people rescued, Santa Barbara airport closed due to flooding
The storm led to numerous rescues across northern and central California.
Firefighters rescued two people from the top of a vehicle that stalled due to flooding in the Sloughhouse area, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Sacramento, the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said.
Hours earlier, a man was rescued along a stream in the El Dorado Hills just northeast of Sacramento. El Dorado Hills Deputy Fire Chief Dave Brady told KCRA-TV that a man camping in the area became trapped in a tree as the water rose.
In San Luis Obispo County on the state’s central coast, crews rescued three people from the swollen Salinas River in the city of Paso Robles. Paso Robles Fire and Emergency Services Battalion Chief Scott Hallett told KSBY-TV that firefighters had already planned a rapid water rescue drill when they received word that someone was stranded on an island in the river. He said he was
Santa Barbara Airport was closed Monday after up to 10 inches of rain fell in the area by midday, covering the runway with water. All commercial flights were canceled and airport authorities suspended general aviation operations.
“Santa Barbara Airport remains closed until further notice,” airport officials said in a statement late Monday afternoon. “The airfield suffered significant flooding from the storm and is not expected to recede until it reopens today.”
Possibility of flooding, landslides, and power outages
He said the storm will move south along the coast, centered on the Los Angeles Basin, on Tuesday, bringing “flooding and landslide concerns” to the region. Bauer said the Los Angeles and San Diego metropolitan areas are at risk of “waterlogging.”
The National Weather Service warned residents in all four southwestern California counties to be on the lookout for rocks and mudslides caused by heavy rain.
Bauer said heavy rain could also cause power outages. “Because of the saturated ground, there’s an added risk of downed power lines and trees falling on the power infrastructure there,” Bauer said.
High waves and coastal flooding are also expected on the Los Angeles and Malibu coasts into Tuesday, with waves up to 20 feet possible in Santa Barbara County, the National Weather Service said. The agency advised residents to avoid dangerous large waves on flooded roads and beaches.
Northern California was not out of the woods either. Bauer said San Francisco and the central Inner Valley could also experience severe weather Monday. “We expect some risk of severe weather today, including the risk of heavy rain and isolated tornadoes,” Bauer said.
Dramatic photo:Flooding led to San Diego’s fourth-wettest day
“Level down” due to severe storm in early February
The new rain comes just two weeks after a severe storm dubbed “Pineapple Express” soaked California in its heaviest rain of the season, causing widespread and dangerous flooding across the region. Eight Southern California counties have declared a state of emergency due to the extreme weather.
More than 4 inches of rain was recorded in Los Angeles on February 4, breaking the record for that day by more than an inch and making it the heaviest single-day rainfall in more than 20 years. Up to 8 inches of rain fell in some areas of Southern California.
Rainfall and landslides caused infrastructure damage and economic losses worth up to $11 billion, according to a preliminary report from AccuWeather.
Bauer said this week’s rainfall will be “at a reduced level” compared to previous storms.
“It was a historic event,” he said. “It won’t rain that much.”
Atmospheric rivers are accelerating storms
Atmospheric rivers are behind this week’s rainfall and early February storms. Spreading out from the tropics and stretching hundreds of miles, threads of water vapor cause about half of the West Coast’s annual precipitation.
“If you look at the satellite this morning, you can see a flow of moisture along the tail end of this cold front. It extends all the way from areas east of Hawaii and is sucking up all the tropical moisture toward Southern California. ” Bauer said.
Contributed by: Associated Press
Cybele Mayes-Osterman is a breaking news reporter for USA Today. Email her at cmayesosterman@usatoday.com. X Follow her at @CybeleMO.
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