Storm Bearing Down On Southern California Expected To Bring Several Days Of Rain
MONROVIA (CBSLA) – Yet another storm will bear down on the Southland Wednesday, this one expected to bring heavy rainfall that will continue through Friday, creating the possibility of dangerous mud flows in wildfire burn areas and treacherous driving conditions due to snow and ice through mountain passes such as the Grapevine.
After being temporarily opened Tuesday afternoon, the 5 Freeway through the Grapevine was again shut down between Castaic and Fort Tejon just after 6 a.m. Wednesday due to snow and blustery winds.
Eleven people and two dogs were rescued early Wednesday morning in the Angeles National Forest north of Santa Clarita after their cars got stranded for about 10 hours in ice on a remote road due to a GPS mishap caused by the closure of the Grapevine. According to Santa Clarita Valley Search & Rescue, the cars were directed to the Old Ridge Route via GPS because of the 5 Freeway shut down.
The storm, meanwhile, is expected to bring 1.5 to 3 inches of rain to low-lying areas in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, and up to 10 inches of rain to mountain areas.
Santa Barbara County's mountains could receive up to 8 inches of rain.
Forecasters are calling the storm an "atmospheric river" of moisture that will persist into Friday. Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties will see heavy rainfall Tuesday through Thursday, while L.A. County will see its heaviest rain on Thursday and Friday.
The storm is expected to taper off by Friday night.
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The heavy rain could lead to dangerous debris flows in recent wildfire burn areas such as the Bobcat Fire burn area in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Monrovia.
"With the potential of this event, the area may approach critical thresholds for mud and debris flows in and around the recent burn areas," according to the National Weather Service.
Some areas could see flood warnings posted as the storm moves closer, and residents in flood-prone areas will likely be urged to be prepared to evacuate at a moment's notice.
Snow levels in the mountains could drop to 4,500 feet by Thursday night, according to the National Weather Service. Elevations above 6,000 feet could see anywhere from 1 to 3 inches of snow.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
