Heavy Rain Soaks Southland, Causes Dozens Of Crashes, Mudslides
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – The strong storm which brought heavy rainfall to Los Angeles County Thursday night and Friday morning created hazardous conditions for drivers and brought mudslides to some recent burn scars, while other burn areas appeared to escape any major damage.
The storm delivered a staggering 3 inches of rain to East Pasadena and 2 inches to Culver City over the past three days.
Bel Air, Woodland Hills and La Canada Flintridge each received more than 1.5 inches of rain, and more than 1.25 inches fell in downtown Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Burbank and Northridge over the same period.
There were at least 50 crashes reported late Thursday night, according to Sky2's Desmond Shaw.
Early Friday morning, a big rig overturned on the 10 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles and caught fire, while its cab went off the road and was left hanging precariously off the side of the freeway, before it fell to the ground below.
The driver was able to escape unharmed.
Officials were concerned about the possibility of mudslides, specifically in the El Dorado Fire burn scar in Yucaipa, the Apple Fire burn scar in Cherry Valley, the Bobcat Fire burn scar in the San Gabriel foothills above Monrovia and the Ranch 2 Fire burn scar in Azusa.
Highway 39 in the San Gabriel Mountain foothills in Azusa was shut down because of a mudslide Friday morning that left one car trapped in muddy water.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office Thursday morning issued mandatory evacuations for the El Dorado Fire burn area communities of Mountain Home Village, northeast Yucaipa and Oak Glen. Those were downgraded to evacuation warnings just after 8 a.m. Friday.
While in Monrovia, a drainage pipe was added to help divert high waters in the Bobcat Fire burn scar. Tractors and other debris removal equipment were pre-deployed before the storm, with patrols watching for anything that could start to slide.
As of Friday morning, no residential neighborhoods in either Monrovia, Azusa, Yucaipa or Cherry Valley had experienced any dangerous debris flows, despite the heavy rain.
Silverado Canyon in Orange County was a different story. The area, which was hit by both the Silverado and Bond fires late last year, experienced several mudslides late Thursday night. There were no reported injuries, however.
The winter storm brought heavy snow to the Cajon Pass. Snow plows were out in force clearing the roadway Friday morning. Visibility was low and the freeway was slick, but the 15 Freeway remained opened. California Highway Patrol officers were escorting drivers through some rougher patches.
The 5 Freeway through the Grapevine, which was closed earlier in the week, was back open. However, snow was falling and starting to stick Friday morning, and CHP officers were escorting drivers through the 12-mile stretch, leading to the possibility that the freeway may be shut down yet again.
A winter storm warning remains in effect through 3 p.m. Friday for the mountains, with 1 to 3 feet of snow potentially accumulating at elevations above 6,000 feet, along with winds gusting up to 55 miles per hour.
A flash flood watch will be in effect for most of Orange County through 4 p.m. Friday. Forecasters said heavy rain was expected Friday morning and included a chance of thunderstorms and rain rates topping a half-inch per hour.
"On Friday, numerous showers, mountain snow showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms can be expected as a cold upper-level low pressure system affects the region," according to the National Weather Service. "Dry weather will prevail Saturday through Monday as high pressure builds in over the region."
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
