Winter storm moves through SoCal: Flooding, power outages reported
LOS ANGELES (FOX 11 / CNS) - Steady rain fell in parts of the Southland Monday, but no mud and debris flows immediately developed over slopes stripped of vegetation by wildfires, and the rain was expected to stop later in the day.
A flash flood watch for the burn areas will be in force until 6 a.m.because there is the potential for between a half-inch and an inch of rain. The watch is in effect in the San Gabriel and Santa Monica mountains and the San
Fernando, Santa Clarita and San Gabriel valleys.
A more serious flash flood warning for the sites of the Sand, Sage and Calgrove fires near Santa Clarita was allowed to expire at 2:30 a.m., with no flash flooding having been reported, said NWS meteorologist Curt Kaplan.
The storm's main front is expected to slide out the region by midmorning, although some precipitation will linger until early afternoon. Kaplan said.
In the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, a winter weather advisory will be in force until 4 p.m. The snow level is expected to fall to 7,000 feet, and there's a possibility of brief snow showers
across Angeles Crest Highway in case of thunderstorms.
An accumulation of between 3 and 8 inches of snow is expected above 7,000 feet and up to a foot on the highest peak, according to the NWS. Also expected in the mountains is northwestern winds of between 15 and 25 mph,
gusting to 40 mph, creating hazardous conditions for motorists.
"Be prepared for snow-covered roads and limited visibility, and use caution while driving,'' warned an NWS statement, which urged drivers to keep emergency supplies in their vehicles, including flashlights, food and water, extra clothing, blankets and tire chains.
Along the coast, a high surf advisory will be in effect until 6 p.m. in Los Angeles County, where surf of between 10 and 12 feet is forecast, with large waves and powerful rip currents expected. The NWS urged swimmers to stay near lifeguard stations and, if ensnared by a rip current, to swim parallel to the coast until able to break free.
The rain began Sunday afternoon. Kaplan said that by early this morning, the NWS had recorded almost an inch of rain at the Hollywood Reservoir, .88 of an inch in South Gate, .86 at Getty Center in the Sepulveda Pass, three quarters of an inch in downtown L.A., .69 in Woodland Hills, .97 in Van Nuys and 1.07 inch in Pacoima.
More than 3,000 customers of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power were without power this morning, the utility reported.
The outages included 1,377 in Valley Village, 1,252 in Boyle Heights, 360 in Sherman Oaks, 298 in Harbor Gateway and 145 in Baldwin Hills, the DWP said on its website.
The other major utility serving the Southland, Southern California Edison, said power was restored today to about 500 of 2,200 customers who had been without electricity in Los Angeles County.
The outages started at about 7 p.m. Sunday in Rosemead, where more than 80 customers were without power. Power there was not restored as of the pre-dawn hours.
Nearly 1,100 customers in Lynwood lost power at 9:03 p.m. but it was restored overnight. More than 800 customers in unincorporated Los Angeles County were without power this morning, Edison said. That includes about 200 customers in Rancho Palos Verdes and 179 in Alhambra.
Edison crews were working to restore power, according to the online Outage Center.
The rainy weather took a toll on motorists around Los Angeles County, the California Highway Patrol said Monday.
About 200 collisions were reported on L.A. County freeways between 9p.m. Sunday and 1 a.m. today compared with 30 during the same period one week ago when it was dry, according to the CHP.
That included a jack-knifed big rig with two trailers that shut down traffic on the eastbound San Bernardino (10) Freeway at Garey in Pomona.
Monday's L.A. County forecast calls for showers and highs of 57 on Mount Wilson; 58 in Lancaster; 59 in Palmdale; 60 in Avalon; 62 in Saugus; 64 in Pasadena; 65 at LAX and in San Gabriel and Burbank; 66 in downtown L.A. and Woodland Hills; and 68 in Long Beach.
Showers and partly cloudy skies were in Orange County's forecast today, along with highs of 63 in Mission Viejo; 65 in Yorba Linda, Irvine, Laguna Beach and San Clemente; 66 in Newport Beach; and 67 in Fullerton and Anaheim.
At least six days of sunshine are in the forecast in L.A. and Orange counties starting Tuesday, when temperatures will be at least a couple of degrees higher than today as a warming trend gets underway. Highs will revert to the 70s in Orange County beginning Wednesday and in Los Angeles County the next day.
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