Prepare for dangerous deluge of rain and snow, Southern Californians are warned

Across Southern California on Friday, residents were urged to prepare for a deluge of rain and snow to begin late Sunday that is expected to lead to major flooding, power outages, downed trees and possibly loss of life.

The powerful, multiple-day storm could drop 3 to 6 inches of rain in coastal and valley areas, and 6 to 12 inches in the mountains, with much of that downpour occurring in a 24- to 36-hour period between Sunday into Monday, the National Weather Service said.

Historically, rainfall of that magnitude has created overwhelming problems. “There’s no reason to think this won’t happen with this event,” forecasters warned.

The heavy rain will be accompanied by strong winds in many areas, blowing at 30 to 50 mph in parts of L.A. County, and reaching up to 60 to 90 mph in higher mountain areas and the 5 Freeway corridor.

Here are some details on our upcoming storm. Life threatening flooding, damaging winds and heavy mountain snow are coming. Many roads/freeways will be completely flooded. Many trees will be down. Power outages likely. There is still time to prepare. #cawx #larain pic.twitter.com/PqZB2y5Xdw

— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) February 2, 2024

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On Friday, local residents were still drying out from this week’s less intense storm – or trying to.

Mandy Garrett’s white, Model S Tesla was destroyed in Seal Beach on Thursday, Feb. 1.

“The whole alleyway where I had left my car was flooded,” said Garrett, a 45-year-old resident of Rancho Santa Margarita who works at a floral shop in Long Beach. “It was such a sign of what Mother Nature can do.”

Even after losing her car, Garrett is confident that she’s undertaken enough preparations for the coming storm system.

“You have to go with the punches,” she said.

As the system moves slowly toward Southern California from the north, Saturday should be mostly dry, except for a slight chance of rain late in the day in the far western reaches of Los Angeles County.

Rain will fall across most of the region Sunday, arriving in the L.A. area by nighttime. The exact timing was still uncertain as of Friday evening, with forecasters saying there’s a chance much of the heaviest rain could remain over Santa Barbara and Ventura counties for most of Sunday.

In the Inland Empire, most of the rain will fall Monday through Tuesday. Heavy snow is expected from Sunday to Monday, initially only above 7,000 feet, then lowering to 6,000 feet.

In San Bernardino’s mountain communities, some residents are still recovering from the destruction caused by last year’s blizzard.

Cherie Ndei, a 36-year-old homeschool teacher who lives in Twin Peaks, said that she has still not been able to repair her roof after it was damaged last year — and that this storm is putting her family on edge.

“My husband and others who were trapped here last year have PTSD,” Ndei said. “Even a little bit of snow makes him start freaking out.”

At a news conference Friday, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass outlined preparations her administration is undertaking.

“There are indications that the coming storm could be as strong as Tropical Storm Hilary in August,” Bass said. “But we made it through Hilary.”

L.A. Street Services will have trucks on hand to assist with downed trees and blocked roads, and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority has made more vouchers available for unhoused Angelenos who need shelter from the storm, Bass said. Shelters should be open by 5 p.m. Saturday.

Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he’s mobilizing more than 8,000 people to assist with storm preparation and recovery around the state. including swift water rescue teams and urban search and rescue crews. The California National Guard is on standby to deploy to communities needing their help.

Shane Reichardt, spokesman for the Riverside County Emergency Management Agency, said local agencies are doing what they can to help residents prepare, especially in areas where people are still recovering from last year’s storms.

“It’s important to look at what people experienced,” Reichardt said. “As emergency managers, we always encourage people to have three to seven days’ worth of supplies on hand.”

Surf City Marathon event organizer Dan Cruz said the race, expected to draw 18,000 runners to Huntington Beach on Sunday, Feb. 4, is still planned, rain or shine.

“The forecast definitely calls for winter weather this weekend in Southern California,” he said. “Rainy races can be memorable and enjoyable with the right mindset and preparation. They’ve been training for weeks and months in preparation for the race. We are going to do our best to put on a world-class experience, no matter the conditions.”

But if changes are necessary, he added, the organizers will notify participants through email and social media.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Source: Orange County Register