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Los Angeles is in the midst of a historic rainfall event —and there's more to come
From CNN Meteorologists Mary Gilbert and Brandon Miller
The rainfall total in Los Angeles is already ranking among the top five two-day stretches in the history of weather records in the city, which span nearly 150 years.
As of 11 a.m. PT ( 2 p.m. ET) Monday, 6.35 inches of rain have fallen in downtown Los Angeles since Sunday morning. This total puts the city at its fifth-wettest two-day stretch ever recorded.
The wettest two-day total for downtown Los Angeles occurred more than 90 years ago when 7.98 inches of rain fell from December 31, 1933 to January 1, 1934.
Rainfall in downtown Los Angeles will likely continue to climb the record ranks as the downpour continues Monday. Rain is forecast to persist across the city through Tuesday before tapering off to a few showers Wednesday.
Here are the top five wettest two-day periods in downtown Los Angeles:
- 7.98 inches, ending January 1, 1934
- 7.44 inches, ending January 26, 1956
- 6.51 inches, ending December 29, 2004
- 6.36 inches, ending March 2, 1938
- 6.35 inches, ongoing since yesterday
Here's a look at areas in California impacted by heavy precipitation:
Mayor declares local emergency in Los Angeles as city continues to face impacts of storm
From CNN’s Cindy Von Quednow
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signed a declaration of a local emergency Monday as the city continues to be blasted with heavy rain and wind.
The emergency declaration will “help our response and ensure that the city has the required resources to respond to the storm now, but also in the recovery period,” Bass said during a news conference Monday.
The mayor commended first responders response to the severe storm while also urging residents heed evacuation orders.
“With unprecedented rain, came unprecedented preparation – and now, comes unprecedented response,” Bass said. “All through the night, firefighters, police officers, street repair crews, traffic engineers, parks and rec staff and the entire city family have worked to address this storm.”
“I do have to say that we have had to rescue individuals in certain neighborhoods because they did not follow the evacuation orders. We ask that when notified that you need to evacuate, please do that so you do not end up needing to be rescued," she added.
The rainfall total in Los Angeles is already ranking among the top five two-day stretches in the history of weather records in the city, which span nearly 150 years.
Multiple mudslides and road closures reported in Bel-Air community, official says
From CNN’s Amy Simonson
Asan atmospheric river pounds California with heavy rain, the Los Angeles community of Bel-Air is reporting multiple mudslides and landslides, according to a community spokesperson.
“Due to the hilly nature of our canyons, there are multiple mudslides and landslides, and tons of debris in our roads. Many of the roads are closed,”Bel-Air Associationspokesperson Hattie Rogovin said in an email to CNN.
Rogovin said the storm “is very intense,” and some areas of Bel-Air are reporting approximately 10 inches of rain overnight.
Rogovin said the association is working to keep residents informed as the storm continues.
“The Bel-Air Association manages several WhatsApp chats for different areas in Bel-Air; through these chats, we are in troubleshooting mode to make sure hundreds of neighbors are in constant communication,” she said.
Bel-Air encompasses more than 2,000 properties, according to theassociation’s website.
Scientist concerned California storm will exhibit "windshield-wiper" effect
From CNN’s Rachel Ramirez
The firehose of intense rainfall that’s been battering Southern California since Sunday couldrecedeand then target the region yet again, according toclimatescientist Daniel Swain — in a concerning pattern he called the “windshield-wiper” effect.
“There is a chance that this atmospheric river and associated rain and moisture plume will actually retrograde,” said Swain, who studies extremeweatherandclimatechange at the University of California at Los Angeles. This means the storm could move back over the same areas across Los Angeles and even Ventura counties that have been hard-hit over the past 36 hours.
If that happens, areas that have already been inundated by record-breaking rainfall will get thrashed again by torrential downpours “without much of a break in between.”
The storm has already dumped nearly 10 inches of rain on parts of Los Angeles County and in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Swain warned theflooding“may get worse and more widespread as the day goes on,” especially as afternoon heating could lead to some thunderstorm activity.
6 homes damaged by "debris flow" in Los Angeles’ Beverly Crest neighborhood
From CNN’s Cindy Von Quednow
Six homes were damaged and one was "threatened" due to “debris flow” in a Los Angeles neighborhood Monday morning as the region continues to face a powerful winter storm,according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The flow caused “significant damage”to the homesin the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles, the fire department said in an alert on its website.
There were no reports of people trapped or injuries.Firefighters helped six adults and nine children who were left stranded as a result, according to the fire department.
The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety responded to the area to assess any structures that might have been seriously compromised, according to the alert.
Watch the firehose of rain drench Los Angeles for 24 consecutive hours
From CNN Meteorologist Mary Gilbert
Rain has fallen nonstop across the Los Angeles metro since Sunday morning, creating jaw-dropping rainfall totals that continue to climb.
As of 11 a.m. PT ( 2 p.m. ET) Monday, 6.35 inches of rain has fallen in downtown Los Angeles since Sunday morning. This is the fifth-wettest two-day stretch ever recorded there.
The wettest two-day stretch ever for downtown Los Angeles occurred more than 90 years ago when 7.98 inches of rain fell from December 31, 1933, to January 1, 1934.
This storm will continue to climb in the history book as more rain falls Monday. Rain is forecast to persist across the city through Tuesday before tapering off to a few showers Wednesday.
Ferocious wind gusts hit 162 mph in the Sierra Nevada mountains
From CNN Meteorologist Mary Gilbert
Strong winds roared across California Sunday and Sunday night as the atmospheric river-fueled storm reached its full strength. Wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph were common along the state’s coast while valley areas saw 20 to 40 mph wind gusts.
But the strongest winds centered on high-elevation areas where some gusts reached triple digits.
Winds were screaming Sunday night in the Sierra Nevada. Wind gusts eclipsed 140 mph for two weather reporting stations located at about 8,700 feet in elevation in the greater Lake Tahoe area.
One of these stations, located on Ward Peak in Placer County, recorded a 162 mph wind gust just after midnight Monday.Stronger winds are more common at higher elevations, but these winds are still exceptional for mountainous terrain.
Wind gusts this strong are more often associated with powerful storms like Category 4 or 5 hurricanes.
Here are some other notable wind gusts:
- Pablo Point: 102 mph
- Lagunitas Forest: 102 mph
- Road to Ranches: 99 mph
- Santa Clara: 98 mph
- Loma Prieta: 98 mph
- High Glade Lookout: 90 mph
- Oakland International Airport: 60 mph
- San Francisco International Airport: 58 mph
- Sacramento Airport: 46 mph
The strongest winds with the ongoing storm subsided early Monday. Gusty conditions are still possible Monday — especially at higher elevations —but nowhere near the extreme level that unfolded overnight.
In photos: Incredible flooding and dangerous debris
From CNN's Austin Steele
A powerful storm has lashed Southern California with torrential rain that has triggered dangerous flooding, mudslides and debris flows. On Monday, photos showed downed trees, debris in the streets and rising rivers.
"We are not used to this kind of rain," says San Diego mayor as city braces for impact
From CNN's Sara Sidner
Speaking on CNN's Newsroom Monday morning, San Diego mayor Todd Gloria said the city is working to prepare for the impact of the storm as it moves south over the course of the day.
"This is happening after two weeks of repeated storm events," Gloria said. "We are not used to this kind of rain in San Diego, where we're used to perfect weather, so this is really complicating our response effort where we're trying to help those people flooded out two weeks ago."
The mayor added that he had issued a second evacuation warning to low-lying and flood-prone parts of the city.
"We've seen areas that have not traditionally flooded flood because of the volume of rain in a very short amount of time," he said. "These atmospheric rivers are something that probably many of us never even grew up with knowing about, but now they're sort of ever-present in our lives. And it means an extraordinary amount of water can be dumped on a community, a very finite, small part of our city, in a very short amount of time."
He added that city officials are "doing absolutely everything we can" to prepare for the storm, including distributing over 150,000 sandbags.
Still, "we could use a break from mother nature, that's for sure," he said.
The city is under flood watch from 4 p.m. local time (7 p.m. ET) Monday until 10 a.m. local time (1 p.m. ET) Wednesday 1 p.m. Peak rainfall is expected to begin around 7 p.m. local time tonight (10 p.m. ET) and last until 3 a.m. local time Wednesday morning (6 a.m. ET).
