New storm to bring more rain, snow to Southland

Just as Southern California was beginning to dry out from a massive winter storm that hit over the weekend, leaving thousands in Los Angeles without power, a new incoming storm is expected to bring more of the same to the area.

The storm, which began to affect the Southland as early as Wednesday, brought extreme levels of precipitation to many regions with places like Wrightwood receiving nearly 100 inches of snow. Other places that saw considerable snow and rainfall included:

• Woodland Hills: 10.79 inches of rain,
• Beverly Hills: 6.64 inches of rain,
• Van Nuys: 6.92 inches of rain,
• La Cañada Flintridge: 9.19 inches of rain,
• Newhall: 8.38 inches of rain,
• Pasadena: 8.11 inches of rain,
• Burbank: 6.88 inches of rain,
• Bel Air: 6.76 inches of rain,
• Downtown Los Angeles: 4.49 inches of rain. 

The persistent precipitation, which prompted a rare blizzard warning in L.A. and Ventura County mountain ranges, caused a number of road closures throughout the weekend, most notably the Grapevine — the 40-mile stretch of the I-5 Freeway that connects Los Angeles County to Kern County — which reopened early Sunday afternoon after being shutdown the day prior. 

Despite the brief let up, the National Weather Service advised drivers to remain vigilant as travel through mountain areas could "still be very dicey through the day."

Related: Southern California roads, highways affected by powerful winter storm

Early Sunday evening, multiple homes in one La Cañada Flintridge neighborhood were evacuated when the earth gave way in the foothill community, raising concerns with the new movement incoming. 

Though expected to be a considerably weaker storm, periods of rain and mountain snow were predicted to hit the Southland as early as Sunday evening, lasting through Wednesday. The storm will bring more gusty winds as well.

The wet weather in the form of scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms could last through Wednesday evening, bringing anywhere between 1 and 2 inches to the mountains and up to one inch in coastal and valley areas. 

Frigid temperatures will linger until Thursday, raising the likelihood of hail and light snow in unusual regions as well. Snow levels still hover around 1,500 feet to 2,000 feet, though they were expected to jump to 3,000 feet as Sunday went on.

With the brief relief from constant rain, thousands of people flocked to snow-covered Southern California mountains to take advantage of the freshly-powdered landscapes.

One of the most popular locations was Mt. Baldy, which accumulated as much as 8 feet of snow at its highest peaks. 

A winter weather advisory remains in effect until 10 p.m. for mountain communities.

Toppled trees wreaked havoc on Southland roadways, with the city of Los Angeles reporting that they had received more than 1,700 downed tree emergency requests since Wednesday. In Van Nuys, a driver attempting to swerve around a massive felled tree slammed into an apartment complex, however none were injured.

Along with the environmental impacts of the storm, thousands of customers were left without power for several days, with as many as 150,000 residents affected.

As of Sunday, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reported that 38,500 customers were still without power. Crews reportedly restored power for around 35,000 people Sunday, according to a statement.

One LADWP employee, working to restore power on Saturday, suffered a severe injury and remained in intensive care Sunday evening. 

"This accident and serious injury of our employee is a reminder that our line crews and other field personnel are truly unsung heroes who work in hazardous conditions risking their lives to keep the power flowing across our city," said LADWP General Manager Martin Adams.

Regions still without electricity included: 

• Glassell Park,
• Green Meadows,
• Hancock Park,
• Hollywood,
• Studio City,
• Chatsworth,
• Mission Hills,
• North Hollywood,
• Sun Valley,
• Tarzana,
• Van Nuys,
• Woodland Hills.

Workers estimated that the outages could persist until Monday, as repair times would continue to be impacted by the wind and looming rain.

Rescue crews performed a number of swift water and hoist rescues over the weekend, most recently from a remote area of the Tujunga Wash in Sunland, where two people and a cat inside of a vehicle were suddenly overcome by storm water. They were hospitalized after showing signs of hypothermia.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials warned the public against going into ocean waters, especially those nearest storm drains, creeks and rivers since the water could contain heightened levels of bacteria, chemicals, trash and debris after the recent rainfall.