Other A threatening storm front moved through Southern California on Thursday, bringing rain, flash flood concerns, strong winds and dangerous surf as the region still reels from the moisture-rich atmospheric river that swept across the state in recent days..
But heavy rains appeared to abate across much of southern California by midday, even offering a glimmer of sunshine after a wet morning and, at times, dangerous, according to the Los Angeles Times newspaper.
The fCold weather and heavier rains moved through the Los Angeles area faster and earlier than expected and produced less rain, falling about 1 to 2 inches at lower elevations and 2 to 5 inches at higher elevations. said meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
But the region remained at risk of isolated thunderstorms and flooding through Thursday from a cold air mass traveling behind the front, forecasters said.
A flood watch issued Wednesday for all of southwestern California was canceled at noon Thursday after the strongest part of the storm moved out of Los Angeles County.
The flood watch has been canceled for San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, according to the National Weather Service.
But the heavy rains did not dissipate without first causing damage in the region, prompting road closures, water rescues and evacuations as emergency personnel monitored rapidly rising river waters.
In In Ventura County, firefighters rescued five people from rising river waters in three separate operations.
Video posted online by the county Fire Department showed a helicopter rescuing a person who had become trapped when the Ventura River flooded.
The person was “holding on to bamboo branches” before being lifted to safety, according to the Fire Department.
After the rescue, firefighters searched the area but found no one else in need of help, firefighter Andy VanSciver said. But, they returned to the same area hours later when a group of people appeared to be trapped on an island in the middle of the river.
Two were able to get to safety on their own, but another had to be transported by helicopter.
Just before 3 p.m., firefighters were dispatched again, this time to people who appeared to be stranded in the Santa Clara River about a quarter-mile downstream of the 101 Freeway, VanSciver said. Three people had to be taken to a safe place.
None of the people rescued Thursday appeared to be seriously injured, he said.
In San Bernardino County, more than 4,000 Southern California Edison customers lost power in the Yucca Valley.
David Song, a spokesman for the utility company, said the outage was caused by an equipment failure that was likely caused by the storm.
The blackout was reported at 11 a.m. and power was not restored until 3:30 p.m., he said.
Along the shoreline, lifeguards watched as 8- to 12-foot waves pounded the beaches and sometimes washed over lifeguard towers along the sand.
In preparation for the storm, lifeguards had already removed several towers from the water, sometimes near bike paths outside the sand, said Capt. AJ Lester of the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s lifeguard division. On Thursday morning, another 15 to 20 moved after the waves picked up.
“We’ve seen quite a bit of beach erosion,” he said. “We had to move them back to prevent them from ending up in the ocean.”
Large waves scraped the bottom of the piers in Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Venice Beach, prompting city officials to close them, Lester said. The docks were expected to remain closed until Saturday.
Malibu and Zuma beaches received reports of some coastal flooding early Thursday.
Forecasters expected significant beach erosion, particularly at high tide.
“Here in Southern California,” said Ariel Cohen, a National Weather Service meteorologist, the storm system was “certainly one of the strongest.”
Forecasters had warned of mud and debris flows on the Fish and Bobcat fires near Duarte and areas near Castaic Lake.
Duarte officials, who had placed the area burned by the Fish Fire under their “yellow alert level” as of Wednesday night, which included restricted parking, moved the area to a lower alert level Thursday morning. night and lifted parking restrictions.
The Sepulveda Basin was closed early Thursday due to high water levels and several streets were flooded in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
A mudslide closed both directions of Topanga Canyon Boulevard from Pacific Coast Highway to Grand View Drive Thursday afternoon.
Photos from the California Department of Transportation showed a large rock and other debris on the highway, which authorities said was expected to remain closed until Friday morning.
Although the rainfall totals were below expected amounts, “accidents and traffic collisions are everywhere” around Los Angeles, California Highway Patrol Officer Moises Marroquin said. He said the flooding on the roads was widespread.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Lost Hills Station said in a tweet that downed trees and small rock slides were reported throughout the area and advised residents to stay home. Beverly Hills also had reports of large downed trees.
In a period less than 48 hours after the last storm hit, downtown Los Angeles received about 0.67 inches of rain, while Beverly Hills received 1.8 inches.
About 2.96 inches of rain fell on Woodland Hills in the San Fernando Valley, and Newhall in the Santa Clarita Valley recorded about 1.69 inches.
Rainfall totals at higher elevations exceeded 3.5 inches in some areas, including the firehouse in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Thursday’s storm came on the heels of a series of storms, what experts describe as an atmospheric river, battering California, prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to proclaim a state emergency Wednesday to “support response efforts.” and Recovery” across the state.
In Northern California, where the storm has been most severe, torrential rain and high winds on Wednesday left a child dead, prompted evacuations and power outages, and raised fears of widespread flooding and debris flows.
Although the storm was still significant in southern California, the region was spared the worst.
Southern California has been “more on the southern periphery of the system.”
Santa Barbara County authorities on Wednesday ordered the evacuation of areas previously burned by the Thomas, Cave and Alisal fires, citing the risk of flooding and debris flows.
On Thursday morning, Santa Barbara officials lifted the evacuation order after the National Weather Service said the heaviest rains and strongest winds associated with the storm had passed.
“Although short-duration showers and thunderstorms can produce brief, heavy downpours, rainfall is not expected to reach critical levels to cause flooding or debris flows,” the county Office of Emergency Services Management said in a message. to the residents.
Still, officials warned residents to remain cautious when returning to their homes.
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