In northern Los Angeles County, a stretch of Lake Hughes Road had to be closed due to mud and debris that cascaded over the roadway in Castaic.
Near Los Angeles International Airport, stormwater flooded at least one southbound lane of the Sepulveda Boulevard tunnel, leading to traffic delays as crews worked to clear the water.
In North Hollywood, parts of Lankershim Boulevard were more reminiscent of a lake than a major thoroughfare — and cars weren’t the only ones powering through it.
“I work up with a lot of energy, I just needed to use it, and the rain just doesn’t stop me,” said Arthur Wypchlak, who decided to go for a run in the downpour.
National Weather Service forecasters dubbed it “the most significant storm of the season.” Coastal areas and the valleys could get up to 3 inches of rain during the storm, while mountains and foothills could see up to 5 inches.
Traffic signals were knocked out of service on Pacific Coast Highway from Coastline to Cross Creek in the Malibu area, making already treacherous driving conditions even more dangerous.
Power outages were also reported throughout the area. By mid-morning, customers were reporting outages in an array of areas covered by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, including El Sereno, Highland Park, Westwood and Studio City. Southern California Edison was reporting outages affecting more than 6,000 customers throughout Los Angeles County, although it was unclear how many of them were storm-related.
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The weather service issued a flash flood watch that took effect at 3 a.m. Tuesday and is scheduled to remain in place until 6 p.m. in recent county burn areas — from the Bobcat, Ranch 2, Dam, Lake and Palisades fires. Forecasters warned that those areas could see intense downpours with an inch or more of rain per hour.
“Residents near these burn scars should prepare for potential flash flooding and debris flow impacts,” according to the weather service.
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In Monrovia, residents in the foothill areas were keeping a wary eye on the Bobcat Fire burn scar. Homeowners near Ridgeside Drive and Oakglade Drive, who were under an evacuation warning, had piled sandbags on their property to defend against possible mudflows. K-rails were also put in place along several streets.
“It’s rare that we get rain, as you can see,” said Lauren Cepeda, who has lived in Monrovia for more than 30 years. “And it’s been years since we’ve had a good rain.”
In Orange County’s Bond Fire burn scar area, a mandatory evacuation order has been issued for Silverado Canyon, Williams Canyon and Modjeska Canyon.
An evacuation order was also issued for people living in several San Bernardino Mountain communities near the El Dorado Fire and Apple Fire burn scars.
The powerful “atmospheric river” weather system is sucking up moisture from the Pacific Ocean, raised the threat of flooding and is expected to dump more than 8 feet of snow on the highest peaks in California and Nevada and drench other parts of the two states before it moves on midweek, forecasters said.
This week’s storm is typical for this time of the year but notable because it’s the first big snow that is expected to significantly affect travel with ice and snow on the roads, strong winds and limited visibility, said National Weather Service meteorologist Anna Wanless in Sacramento.
“Most of California, if not all, will see some sort of rain and snow,” she said.
In Santa Barbara County, residents of mountain communities near the Alisal Fire burn scar were ordered Monday to evacuate over concerns that heavy rains might cause flooding and debris flows that could inundate hillside homes.
The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.
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