Mudslides and massive potholes trapped cars in Los Angeles County, and a landslide threatened homes in Orange County. Here’s what’s next.
LOS ANGELES — Southern California felt the force of an atmospheric river that brought record-breaking rain, mudslides and evacuations overnight.
Most areas around Los Angeles demolished daily rain records, and a local state of emergency was declared in Orange County where a hillside threatened several San Clemente apartment buildings. As the morning wears on, a few showers will linger into the early afternoon before some well-earned relief.
As KTLA reports, multiple mudslides in Baldwin Hills trapped vehicles late Tuesday into early Wednesday, snarling traffic on La Brea Avenue and tangling cares in mud and debris. In Orange County, first responders evacuated three apartment buildings in San Clemente after a landslide left the buildings teetering on the edge.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday extended a state of emergency order to include Orange County after the county declared a local emergency. Local leaders cited “ongoing impacts due to coastal flooding, high surf, erosion and land saturation” for coastal communities.
Most weather advisories expired Wednesday morning, but a flood watch will remain in place for Orange County, the San Bernardino and Riverside County valleys, Inland Empire and Santa Ana Mountains until 2 p.m. Wednesday.
The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for Conejo Creek overnight, where water levels peaked within flood stage later in the morning.
The tail end of the storm that soaked the Southland also caused flooding and lent to hundreds of potholes across the region, leaving damage that may linger long after the sun comes out. More than 30 cars became disabled due to potholes on the northbound 71 Freeway at Holt Avenue in Pomona.
In Beverly Hills, a sinkhole temporarily closed northbound Beverly Drive to Coldwater Canyon.
Four Sepulveda Basin intersections were shut down at least through the morning due to heavy rain from the previous night: Victory Boulevard and Woodley Avenue; Burbank Boulevard and the San Diego (405) Freeway; Burbank and Havenhurst Avenue; and Burbank and Balboa Boulevard.
In Orange County, flooding shut down Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach and in Dan Point where a mudslide shut the road down.
Two-day rainfall totals around the Los Angeles metro area include nearly 2.75 inches of rain logged at LAX and 2.5 inches around downtown LA and Santa Monica. Eight of the National Weather Service’s reporting stations easily shattered their daily rainfall records Tuesday. Downtown LA is just shy of two feet of rain recorded for the water year to date, making for the 14th-wettest on record.
Fortunately, the rain will wind down across the board Wednesday and forecasters are tracking much more pleasant weather to end the week.
“A drying and warming trend will establish through today and tonight as the storm system vacates the region and ridging along builds into the West Coast through Friday,” NWS Los Angeles wrote Wednesday. “Temperatures will warm into Thursday as a weak offshore flow pattern develops. Some clouds will likely remain over the mountains as there is a lot of residual moisture remaining in place.”
There is a chance for a weaker weather system to set up shop Friday night and Saturday, but forecasters at this point are expecting only light rain.
City News Service contributed to this report.
Source: Patch News