Widespread Southern California storm brings several inches of rain, flood warnings to region

An "unusually strong storm system" raised concerns about flooding in much of Southern California on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

Several inches of rain have accumulated throughout the region since Friday, with the heaviest totals arriving between the morning and afternoon hours on Saturday. The weekend's portion of the storm is its second phase, the NWS said, and is expected to bring more throughout.

Saturday's rain covered most of the region, ranging from the Central Coast to San Diego County. The NWS issued flood advisories for Los Angeles and Ventura counties, but all had expired by 2 p.m.

Still, weather officials said that an advisory remained in place for coastal and valley areas from LAX to Point Conception through 8 p.m. on Saturday. 

Rain intensity had decreased by the afternoon, although the NWS said thunderstorm chances still existed throughout the region, which could bring unpredictable, heightened rain totals in brief periods.

A flash flood warning was issued by the NWS at 8:37 a.m. for parts of Los Angeles County, with as much as an inch of rain expected to fall in the span of an hour. Flash flooding can be expected in "Burbank, Griffith Park, North Hollywood, Universal City, Pasadena, Hollywood, Van Nuys, Downtown Los Angeles, Mount Wilson, Alhambra, Beverly Hills, Encino, Northridge, Santa Clarita, Chatsworth, Woodland Hills, West Covina, Glendora, Altadena and Sunland."

The warning expired at noon, but was extended to 2 p.m. for burn scar areas, parts of the San Fernando Valley and southeastern LA County. They expired without another extension, except for in Kern County.

24-hour rain totals from 1 p.m. Friday night to Saturday, are as follows, according to the NWS:

• 1.74 inches in downtown Los Angeles
• 2.27 in Thousand Oaks
• 2.43 in Malibu
• 1.53 in Long Beach
• 0.86 in Palmdale
• 1.69 in Burbank
• 1.64 in Fullerton
• 1.7 in Tustin
• 1.61 in Chino
• 1.03 in Riverside
• 2.36 in Dana Point
• 0.98 in San Bernardino

Evacuations

Dozens of specific homes were hit with evacuation orders in those areas, all of which were lifted by 6 p.m. on Saturday. Those affected were alerted by authorities ahead of the storm, according to Los Angeles County. Evacuation warnings were previously issued at the following burn scars, and were slated to remain in effect until 8 p.m. Sunday:

• Canyon
• Bethany
• Eaton
• Palisades
• Hurst
• Kenneth
• Sunset
• Lidia
• Franklin
• Bridge
• Agua
• Owen
• Land
• Fish

For those who did evacuate their homes, three shelters were open in LA County. They could be found at:

• Stoner Recreation Center – 1835 Stoner Ave., Los Angeles, 90025 
• College of the Canyons – 26455 Rockwell Canyon Rd., Valencia, 91355 
• Arcadia Community Park – 405 S Santa Anita Ave., Arcadia, 91006  

Hazards

The weather event caused damage and hazards in some areas.

• All lanes of Topanga Canyon Boulevard were closed between Pacific Coast Highway and Grand View Drive do to minor debris flows, according to Caltrans. The highway will reopen after the storm passes.
• In Huntington Beach, Pacific Coast Highway was closed between Warner Avenue to Seapoint Street on Saturday morning due to flooding.
• More minor flooding was found on freeways in Los Angeles, including the 60 Freeway, near 3rd Street. In Ventura, mudflow was reported on the northbound lanes of the 101 Freeway near La Conchita.
• At least 58 trees were reported to be blown down in the city of Burbank alone.
• Police in South Pasadena told travelers to avoid Edgewood Drive due to eight different sinkholes that had opened up on the roadway. City officials said that the sinkholes occurred due to temporary patch work that gave way.
• Several trees fell across Los Angeles County, including one in Altadena that crushed an SUV that it toppled onto. 
• In the Hollywood Hills, several downed trees caused a power outage when they fell onto a power pole. Power has since been restored after Department of Water and Power crews quickly assessed the situation.
• In Gorman, the Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreational Area experienced considerable flooding, but the park had already been closed due to the danger presented by the storm.
• A minor rockslide caused the brief closure of Malibu Canyon, but crews quickly cleared the street and it was reopened to traffic.
• Parts of the 710 Freeway were impacted by flooding, which led to the closures of multiple lanes near Long Beach Boulevard.

An updating list of damage from the NWS can be found here.