Los Angeles sees record rainfall, rains wash out road in Ventura County

More California storms cause chaos, ruin roads, topple trees

More rains rolled through Southern California, leading to voluntary evacuations in Ventura County, toppled trees, washed out roads and more.

LOS ANGELES - After a break in a series of torrential storms that brought flooding, mudslides, and high surf, causing damage to many parts of California, and some cities including Los Angeles seeing record amounts of rainfall, rain and snow continued to soak California Sunday.

Downtown Los Angeles received 1.82 inches of rain Saturday, breaking the old record of 1.56 inches set in 1978. At LAX, a record 1.53 inches fell Saturday, breaking the old record of 1.51 inches, also from 1978. And 1.72 inches fell at Long Beach Airport, surpassing the 1.48 inches from 1978, according to the National Weather Service.

The rain began falling over Los Angeles County late Saturday morning, with the brunt of the system hitting in the late afternoon or evening.

The precipitation tapered off Saturday night, and the area was expected to get a break from the rain until late afternoon Sunday, when another less-powerful storm moves in. That system is expected to linger over the area into Monday's national holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with the bulk of that day's rain expected in the morning.

Conditions should dry out by Tuesday, beginning a mostly rain-free week, but some Santa Ana winds could develop by later in the week.

Flooding was reported in the Long Beach Peninsula community at about 2 p.m. Saturday, affecting residences along 67th Place. A little farther to the northwest, all lanes of the Long Beach (710) Freeway were flooded between Anaheim and Willow streets.

Street flooding in Long Beach

More rain is expected across Southern California Sunday night into Monday.

A winter weather advisory remains in effect until 3 a.m. Tuesday for the Los Angeles County mountains. Forecasters said as much as 3 inches of snow could fall below 7,000 feet, with 5 to 10 inches possible at higher elevations Saturday night. For Sunday night through Monday, snow could accumulate 5 to 10 inches above 5,500 feet, and 3 to 6 inches at higher points.

"Travel could be very difficult," according to the NWS. "Gusty winds could bring down tree branches. There is a 10 to 20 percent chance of light snow accumulations on the Grapevine over Interstate 5 Monday night."

As of Sunday morning, Caltrans was reporting the following closures:

The southbound 5 Freeway connector to the southbound Harbor (110) Freeway was closed due to mud and debris.
All lanes of State Route 2 in the Angeles National Forest were closed in both directions from 3.3 miles east of Newcomb's Ranch to SR 39.
All lanes of SR 39 were closed in both directions from San Gabriel River Bridge to 3 miles north of East Fork Road.
Two right lanes were blocked on the northbound Golden State (5) Freeway near Templin Highway in northern Los Angeles County by a 250-foot-long mudslide.

Officials from across the state said at least 18 people died in the storms that battered California last week.

More than half of California’s 58 counties were declared disaster areas and repairing the damage may cost more than $1 billion, according to Brian Ferguson, spokesperson for the state Office of Emergency Services. Between Tuesday and Friday, residents of Matilija Canyon in Ventura County were either trapped or needed to evacuate after this week's severe weather.

Chatsworth sinkhole continues to grow

Two people trapped inside a vehicle at the bottom of a large sinkhole were rescued Monday evening in Chatsworth. Three days later, the sinkhole is getting bigger.

In Ventura County Sunday, voluntary evacuation orders were issued near Ojai due to the expectant storms. Rains even washed away one road in the area, making it impassable.

Kevin Costner, best-actor winner in a television drama series for "Yellowstone," was unable to attend Tuesday’s Golden Globe Awards in LA because of the weather. Presenter Regina Hall said he was sheltering in place in Santa Barbara due to flooding.

Here's what is expected for the next round of storms in Southern California.

Los Angeles County

Due to the new storm systems, Santa Anita Park canceled all scheduled races on Saturday and Monday. Los Alamitos Race Course scrubbed all races planned for Saturday night.

Weather Alerts

A Cold Weather Alert will be in effect overnight in the following areas, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health:

Lancaster, Monday to Friday;
Mt. Wilson, Monday to Friday;
Santa Clarita Valley, Tuesday to Friday;
Pomona, Wednesday and Friday;
Woodland Hills, Wednesday.

A winter weather advisory remains in effect until 3 a.m. Tuesday for the Los Angeles County mountains.

An Ocean Water Quality Rain Advisory has been issued for all LA County beaches through Tuesday, Jan 17 at 12 p.m.

Road Closures

Big Pines Highway is closed between Largo Vista Road and the Angeles Crest Highway, Los Angeles County Public Works reports.

Orange County

In Laguna Hills, Orange County Fire Authority workers saved a woman who was clinging to a tree above rising water at Aliso Creek near the 24400 block of Christina Court. That dramatic rescue occurred at about 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

A helicopter lowered a rescuer to the woman, picked her up and took her to safety, where she was reunited with family, OCFA Capt. Thanh Nguyen said.

"As the weather continues to fill up waterways, we strongly urge everyone to stay away from the water," he said.

A high surf advisory was in effect until 10 p.m. Tuesday at Orange County beaches, where huge waves have been seen in the last few days.

Ventura County

Rain hit the area around 10 a.m. Saturday with winds of up to 15 mph, according to NWS. Sunday, rain is expected to arrive in the area after 4 p.m. with winds of up to 15 mph and gusts possibly as high as 20 mph.

Road fallen away near Ojai

More storms coming through Southern California have washed part of a road near Ojai into the water. A driver had to stop when they noticed the road in front of them just wasn't there.

A record rainfall of 1.43 inches was set at Camarillo Airport Saturday, breaking the old record of 1.03 set in 1990.

Although no evacuations are currently in place, authorities are urging residents of Matilija Canyon to evacuate in preparation.

Officials say at least 70 people near the canyon had to be airlifted to safety in the last week. Near Ojai Sunday, parts of Route 33 were destroyed. Some of the road covered in mud, other parts fallen into the water.