Flood Warnings, Rockslides, Crashes as Heavy Rain Sweeps the Southland

A heavy band of rain moved across Los Angeles County, and triggered warnings from the National Weather Service (NWS) of possible localized ponding and flooding across the Southland Sunday.

Malibu and the Conejo and Santa Clarita valleys appeared to bear the brunt of the storm. Rockslides were reported on Mulholland Highway above Malibu, and some ramps and freeway lanes were flooding along the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway near Canyon Country.

An urban stream flooding advisory was issued for the far-western end of Los Angeles County at 10:10 a.m., and extended a little further east as the front progressed at midday. At 12:57 p.m., it was extended to include the front slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains at La Canada-Flintridge, Sunland-Tujunga and Lake View Terrace.

But county flood experts said they did not expect mudflows from the Station Fire burned slopes.

"Rainfall rates over Malibu were around one half inch per hour," the NWS office in Oxnard said. It predicted widespread ponding and intersection flooding as the band of rain moved east into Los Angeles.

Other news:

• A car flipped on the northbound 170 Hollywood Freeway near the Burbank Boulevard exit in North Hollywood, causing traffic to be completely shut down for some time. There is no word yet on any possible injuries.
• The Auto Club 400 NASCAR race was terminated at 258 miles, as heavy showers move into the Inland Empire. Tony Stewart is the race winner.
• More than 4,300 Southern California Edison customers were blacked out at midafternoon.
• Traffic lights are dark in much of Culver City, and a huge multiplex movie theater in Sherman Oaks had to hand out rain checks when the power failed at about 2:45 p.m.
• Water is beginning to accumulate in the Sepulveda Flood Control Basin, and a fire crew said Burbank Boulevard is becoming flooded east of Balboa Boulevard. Eastbound traffic is being diverted at Burbank, but westbound traffic continues to flow into the basin from the San Diego (405) Freeway, accordign to fire crews at the scene.
• A stretch along the northbound San Diego (405) Freeway in Encino was the scene today of a pair of unrelated crashes on wet pavement that involved at least nine vehicles, the California Highway Patrol said. Both crashes were at the bottom of the long downgrade from Sepulveda Pass, in an area where construction has narrowed lanes and reduced the speed limit to 55 miles per hour. Paramedics rushed three people to area hospitals. Their conditions were not immediately known, according to a department statement.

"We've got a pretty narrow frontal band," said NWS Meteorologist Dave Bruno. "It'll probably rain for 3-5 hours, stop, then start up again in the afternoon."

Winds will be out of the southeast at 15-25 mph, and temperatures will top out around 60 degrees.

Thunderstorms are possible after the low-pressure front passes, and the Los Angeles Basin should get a half-inch to an inch of rain by the time the storm moves east. The seasonal total dating from July 1 is 5.98 inches, about 45 percent of normal for this time of year, which is 13.29 inches, Bruno said.

"Hopefully, we'll make up for some of that today," he said. "But as far as the season goes, it's not looking great."

Los Angeles typically gets about 15 inches of rain per year, most of it December-March.

The higher the elevation, the higher the rainfall amounts, Bruno said. Some of the south-facing San Gabriel Mountain foothills could get up to 2 inches of rain.

Eight to 15 inches of snow is expected at elevations of about 6,000 feet or more, and that should add a few days to Southern California's foreshortened skiing and snowboarding season due to a lack of snow. Some snow should fall at elevations as low as about 4,500 feet.

Monday should be dry and mostly sunny, with highs in the upper 60s.

-- City News Service

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Is It Raining on Your Block Yet?

Moderate to heavy rains are expected to begin late Saturday night as a Pacific storm is expected to roll into the Southland Sunday, according to National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts.

Chatsworth and the Valley can expect increasing clouds and southwest winds around 15 mph Saturday night, with moderate to heavy rainfall beginning Sunday and a slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Lows will be near 50.

The forecast for the Santa Monica Mountains area is about the same, with increasing clouds Saturday night and lows in the 40s and lower 50s, rain Sunday -- heavy at times -- and a slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Sunday night's showers will come along with lows in the upper 30s and 40s with south winds 10 to 20 mph.

A winter storm warning remains in effect from 11 a.m. Sunday to 11 a.m. Monday in the Los Angeles County area.

Snow accumulations between 10 and 16 inches are likely at about 5,500 feet, perhaps as low as 4,500 feet in some mountain locations. Up to 20 inches of snow are possible above 7,000 feet.

The winter storm may disrupt Sunday's Auto Club 400 race in Fontana, which is supposed to start at 12:15 p.m. That's exactly when the NWS expects Sunday's storm, which could bring 1 or 2 inches of rain to the basins and valleys.

Rain and snow will start Saturday night, with the snow level starting at about 7,000 feet and then lowering to 5,500 feet. That means no snow is expected on the Grapevine, or in the Antelope Valley.

But scattered local thunderstorms may drop snow as low as 4,500 above sea level Sunday, the NWS cautioned.

Higher elevations could see 10-16 inches of snow, and mountaintops above 7,000 feet may see as much as 20 inches of snow. High winds -- up to 45 mph -- may cause blizzard conditions.

Orange County coastal areas will be under a wind advisory in effect from noon until 8 p.m. Sunday. The forecast there includes lows 46 to 53 with light winds and a chance of rain Sunday morning then into the afternoon, light winds becoming south 15 to 20 mph with gusts to 35 mph in the afternoon and widespread showers Sunday night. Weather officials expect heavy rainfall in the evening.

-- City News Service