UPDATED with latest: Even before the first drop of rain falls, the impacts of the coming storm are already beginning to be felt throughout Los Angeles.
Among them:
- Due to the risk of flooding, Pepperdine University will offer remote classes to students at the Malibu and Calabasas campuses tomorrow. Regular operations are expected to resume on Wednesday.
- Topanga Canyon Boulevard will be closed starting at 10 p.m. tonight and continuing until 5 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The closure will occur on a 3.6-mile stretch between Pacific Coast Highway and Grand View Drive. This stretch of road is a work zone, with nightly closures starting at midnight, but it will close two hours early this evening due to wet weather. The section is bounded by high cliffs and subject to frequent landslides, even in light rain.
- Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that swift water rescue teams, mud and debris flow teams, and heavy-duty flood vehicles are traveling to Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange and Santa Barbara counties. The state is prepositioning more than 200 people and dozens of pieces of equipment, including fire trucks, bulldozers, hand crews, helicopters and front-end loaders.
PREVIOUSLY at 4:18 p.m.: In a combination of good and bad news typical of life in Southern California, the first appreciable rain in more than six months will help provide much-needed moisture ahead of the fall fire season, but could also cause mudslides around burn scars from last season’s massive wildfires.
With 1.5 inches of rain forecast in Los Angeles later today — and 2 to 4 inches in the mountains and foothills — officials have issued evacuation warnings for debris flows near recently burned areas, from 10 p.m. tonight until 6 a.m. Wednesday. Residents in areas burned this year in the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst in Sylmar and Sunset Fires in the Hollywood Hills are advised to prepare to evacuate quickly if the order is given.
See storm details in the graphic below.
The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, warning of “southwest winds gusting 15 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph” that will be “strongest in the hills and peaks.” There was also a warning about possible thunderstorms or even possible tornadoes.
A recently issued alert from the NWS further warns: “The risks of large/damaging debris flows into and below recent burn scars have increased, particularly for the Eaton, Palisades, and Bridge scars. If you live in/near a recent burn scar, follow the advice of law enforcement, limit your travel to avoid flooding, debris flows and mudslides. “
See details on rain arrival times in the graphic below.
Los Angeles County Supervisors Chairwoman Katheryn Barger released a statement shortly after 4 p.m. today. He noted that “the intensity of the storm has increased,” according to county officials, and that evacuation orders may be in sight, at least for the Eaton Canyon/Altadena area that falls under Barger’s jurisdiction.
“County emergency managers are actively working to determine the next steps and timing of official orders. If issued, nearly 400 properties could be subject to mandatory evacuation. Many of these are residential homes located in high fire risk areas,” she wrote.
“I know that asking residents to leave their homes is disruptive and difficult,” Barger added. “But I would rather see people temporarily relocated than anyone put in harm’s way. Please, if you find yourself in an evacuation warning zone, prepare now and be ready to leave immediately once an order is issued.”
On the positive side, the rain should help the region avoid a repeat of last January’s fires. These fires were started by the growth of a wet 2022 season that saw a total of 28.40 inches of precipitation in the Los Angeles area, followed by 25.19 inches during 2023. The seasonal average is about 14 inches. The key here is that in 2024, this growth dried up as the region experienced moderate drought conditions, including an eight-month period without measurable precipitation preceding the fire season.
It’s been roughly seven months since the burned areas of the Palisades and Eaton Fire received a deluge and saw mudslides that added to the damage caused by the fires. This upcoming precipitation, while dangerous in itself, could prevent a repeat of the wet-dry fire cycle as the region enters fall and awaits winter rains.
City News Service contributed to this report.
