Storm slams Downtown Los Angeles with 75% of its annual rainfall — and it's only February (2024)

As a powerful atmospheric river continues to impact Southern California, cities like Los Angeles have seen an incredible start to their year in terms of rainfall.

Since January 1, the weather station has received 10.72 inches through Monday evening PST — equivalent to is about 75% of the yearly average rainfall.

For comparison, the average yearly rainfall for downtown Los Angeles is 14.25 inches.

Forecast: It is still raining across Southern California. The Weather Prediction Center (WPC) has issued a slight risk for excessive rainfall, or a level 2 of 4, for Southern California, including downtown Los Angeles, for Tuesday.

A marginal risk for excessive rainfall, level 1 of 4, remains over parts of Southern California for Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Fire Department has shared photos of the dog belonging to a man who had to be rescued from a river on Monday after jumping in to save his pet.

The pet owner was lifted out of the river by helicopter while the dog managed to swim to safety and escape the rapids, the LAFD said.

Flash flooding is possible for San Diego County in the coming hours as heavier rainfall reaches the area, according to a warning from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Weather Prediction Center.

A flash flood warning remains in effect for Riverside County, southeastern Orange County and northwestern San Diego County for the next hour or so, with more flash flooding possible as the rainfall picks up.

San Diego County may see 0.25 to 0.75 inches of rainfall per hour, with rainfall totals accumulating between 1 and 2 inches.

Moderate risk: A moderate risk for excessive rainfall, or a level 3 of 4,remains in effect for the couple of hours across Southern California before dropping to a slight risk for excessive rainfall, or a level 2 of 4, for the day on Tuesday.

Flood watches have dropped across Northern California. And, the total population under flood watches across Central California, Southern California and parts of Arizona and Nevada is over 30 million people.

A powerful atmospheric river-fueled storm is hovering above Southern California, unleashing torrential rain and floods across the metro-Los Angeles area.

The slow-moving storm has also turned deadly, with at least two confirmed deaths as trees topple over homes and streets. Intense flooding and mudslides have also damaged many homes in the state.

The worst of the storm’s rainfall will slowly shift south throughout the day, with the threat shifting from Los Angeles to the San Diego area by Monday evening.

Here's what to know:

The latest Weather Prediction Center (WPC) reports show the impact of the powerful storm bringing record-setting precipitation in parts of California.

Here are some notable rainfall totals over the latest two-day period, according to the WPC:

Downtown Los Angeles's 7.01 inches in two days is the area's third-wettest two-day period on record as of Sunday.

Here are the top five wettest two-day periods for Downtown Los Angeles:

Excessive rainfall warnings: The excessive rainfall across Southern California has been downgraded to a moderate risk, or a level 3 of 4, with the latest update from the WPC.

Over 16 million people remain under the moderate risk area, including Downtown Los Angeles, as the rainfall total is likely to keep rising.

Daily rainfall records have also been shattered on Monday in parts of Southern California, according to data from the National Weather Service:

Flood watches remain for around 35 million people across the state and may be allowed to expire across Central California Tuesday morning.

The Pacific Coast Highway along California's coast is closed in at least two places after storm damage made it unsafe, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) said Monday.

In Ventura County, which is directly above Los Angeles County, the highway is closed in both directions from Las Posas Road to Sycamore Canyon Road "due to washed out road from storm erosion," Caltrans District 7 said ina post on X.

The highway is also closed both ways in Monterey County near Limekiln State Park due to a landslide on the road, Caltrans District 5 said in apost on X.

As a powerful atmospheric river-fueled storm continues to bring heavy rain and gusty winds slamming California, flight delays have increased across major state airports.

Here are the latest flight cancellations and delays into and out of major airports for the last 48 hours (as of 7:40 p.m. PT), according to FlightAware:

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

Sacramento International Airport (SMF)

San Diego International Airport (SAN)

Metro Oakland International Airport (OAK)

Heavy snowfall associated with the atmospheric river-fueled stormsystemover California has been helping with the snowpack accumulationin theSierra Nevada mountains, which is crucial to the water supply.

Snowpack is the amount or thickness of snow that accumulates on the ground, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Snowpack in the mountains "plays a key role in the water cycle" in the Western US, the EPA says, "storing water in the winter when the snow falls and releasing it as runoff in spring and summer when the snow melts."

As of February 5, the California snowpack is at 72% of normal, which is up 20% from a week ago and up 12% from just three days ago, according to the National Weather Service (NWS):

Here are the latest preliminary snowfall reports across the Sierra Nevada mountain range, according to the NWS:

Snowfall is ongoing across the mountain range, soadditionalrelief is expected.

Winter storm warnings remain for the Sierra Nevada range until Tuesday morning, where snowfall totalsofup to a foot are possible across lower elevations and snowfall up to 7 feetispossible on thehigherpeaks.

While the damage across Los Angeles County was not as significant as officials prepared for, it was “more like a thousand cuts,” said Lindsey Horvath, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Two evacuations orders remain in place — one at the Owen Fire burn scar in Topanga Canyon and one at the Agua Fire burn scar near Acton, Horvath said.

The Los Angeles River is at one-third of its capacity as of 4 p.m. PT, she said, and county storm water facilities have captured 1.3 billion gallons of water, which she said can serve over 32,000 homes for over a year.