Rainfall from a relentless atmospheric river storm has already broken records in Southern California, and the torrential weather has not let up. On Tuesday, officials warned of a possible tornado in San Diego County and more flash flooding across the region.
The National Weather Service issued an alert in parts of San Diego County, including Chula Vista, El Cajon and National City, just before noon, warning of a possible tornado and hail during the next hour. The Chula Vista Elementary School District said it was sheltering in place during the intense weather, which forecasters said was bringing heavy rain with possible lightning to the area.
On the fourth day of a punishing storm that has left a trail of destruction across the state, authorities hoped the worst was over after widespread flooding and mudslides on Monday ruined homes and forced evacuations in parts of Colorado County. The Angels. But the threats persisted.
“Don't let your guard down,” Ariel Cohen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, said Tuesday during a briefing in Los Angeles. “There could still be some very significant impacts.”
“Very little additional rain” will be needed to cause further flooding or landslides and debris flows, he said, and waves of rain are still expected into the afternoon.
Although Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass thanked Angelenos and first responders for their efforts that helped ensure there were no local deaths in the storm, the atmospheric river took a deadly toll in the north.
At least three people in Northern California were killed Sunday by falling trees, according to state and local officials, as the storm initially hit the state with extremely strong winds, especially in the coastal mountains, with gusts of up to 90 mph, and in one case, more than 100 mph.
Chad Ensey, 41, of Carmichael, Sacramento County, suffered blunt force trauma and died at a hospital after a tree fell on him in his backyard amid high winds. In the rural community of Boulder Creek in Santa Cruz County, Robert Brainard III, 45, was killed when a tree fell on his home. And in Sutter County, David Gomes, 82, was found dead under a fallen redwood tree in his backyard, authorities said.
The chances of more downed trees, as well as landslides, road flooding and power outages only increase as the storm continues to dump rain on an already flooded region. Since Monday night, up to 1.5 more inches of rain has fallen in the Los Angeles area, bringing the numbers closer to what we typically see for an entire year.
By early Tuesday, rainfall totals in the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains had exceeded 12 inches in some areas, including Bel-Air (12.29 inches), Sherman Oaks (12.39 inches), Lytle Creek (12.22) and Cogswell Reservoir north of Monrovia. (12.36), according to the latest counts from the National Meteorological Service.
A flash flood warning was recently issued Tuesday for northwest Orange County, including Anaheim, Irvine and Huntington Beach, and for a swath of northern and western Los Angeles County, including Hollywood Hills, Griffith Park, Beverly Hills, Malibu and the entire Santa Monica territory. Mountains, as well as for a portion of southeastern Ventura County, as more moderate to heavy rain is drenching the area again.
Rainfall totals in the Santa Monica Mountains, largely considered the hardest hit by the storm, have averaged between 7 and 11 inches since Sunday, and local amounts have exceeded 12 inches, according to the weather service. In Orange County, urban areas have already reported 2 to 5 inches of rain.
“Flash flooding, mud and debris flows, and land and rock slides have occurred in this area and should continue through at least mid-morning,” the new warning for Orange County said.
Evacuation orders remained in effect for parts of Shadow Hills, Topanga and near Agua Dulce, while evacuation warnings remained active for Juniper Hills, Duarte and near other areas affected by wildfires that could lead to mud flows and debris.
The storm prompted a state of emergency declaration from Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, signed a local emergency declaration on Monday to help the city respond to the storm.
Bass said Tuesday morning that more than 7,000 residents remained without power, and noted that the city's Department of Water and Power had restored power to 54,000. About 5,000 Southern California Edison customers also remained without power.
Late Monday, Pacific Gas & Electric, the state's largest utility, said about 240,000 customers remained without information.
Rainfall has broken records across Southern California, with nearly half of the average seasonal rainfall falling in just two days, Sunday and Monday, officials said.
“Rains in downtown Los Angeles on the 4th and 5th [of February] totaled 7.03 inches,” said a National Weather Service analysis. “That's the third wettest consecutive two-day total since official weather records began in 1877…and the highest two-day precipitation total for the month of February.”
The massive amount of rain, along with its associated threats, led officials to order the evacuation of some foothill communities, especially in the Santa Monica Mountains. Orange County officials issued evacuation warnings for some communities in the Santa Ana foothills Monday night. Residents are urged to avoid traveling on canyon roads.
As of Monday night, Los Angeles authorities had responded to more than 300 landslides, with 35 homes or buildings damaged by debris flows, including five that were deemed unsafe to enter.
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said Tuesday that crews remain active. She asked that Angelenos stay away from roaring rivers and rushing waters after crews rescued a man from the Los Angeles River who jumped into the water to try to save his dog.
“The river banks are not the place to be during the storm,” Crowley said, noting that local rivers are still flowing at “high intensity.”
Speaking at Tuesday's Police Commission meeting, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said emergency services were called to 136 storm-related incidents that resulted in an injury. The number of collisions peaked on Sunday, Moore said, although he noted there have been no traffic deaths.
The San Diego River in Fashion Valley is again forecast to overflow its banks, with the latest projections from California's Nevada River Forecast Center showing it will peak early Tuesday. Weather officials expect flooding around the river near the Fashion Valley shopping center.
In San Bernardino County, evacuation warnings were still in effect for Forest Falls, Angelus Oaks, Seven Oaks and Barton Flats. On Mt. Baldy, search and rescue teams continued searching for Ada Huang, a hiker who did not return home on Sunday. Mara Rodriguez, public information officer for the Sheriff's Department, said no significant damage or deaths were reported in the county overnight.
“They will search as long as conditions are safe to do so,” Rodriguez said of efforts to locate Huang.
Winter weather advisories were also in effect in the mountains of San Bernardino, Riverside and Los Angeles counties, where snowfall could accumulate up to 3 feet.
Times staff writers Prisciela Vega, Hayley Smith, Libor Jany and Dakota Smith contributed to this report.
