Rain snarls roads, fouls ocean
The first in a series of storms causes difficult driving conditions and a health advisory, with more on the way.
The first in an expected trio of storms hit Southern California early Thursday, creating tricky conditions for motorists.
A big rig collision shut down truck lanes for about three hours on the southbound 5 Freeway, north of Balboa Boulevard, and the southbound Highway 14 truck lanes to the southbound 5, according to the California Highway Patrol.
And a rock slide was reported about 4:30 a.m. at Las Virgenes and Malibu Canyon roads, CHP Officer Alex Rubio said. A road crew was working on clearing it when CHP arrived.
As far as driving in the rain: “The best advice would just be to slow down, reduce your speed,” Rubio said.
The heaviest rain Thursday occurred over the eastern part of the county, over Long Beach and up to the San Gabriel Valley, said Curt Kaplan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
The Malibu area received more than 1½ inches of rain, downtown had more than half an inch and the Hollywood Reservoir got almost three-quarters of an inch, Kaplan said.
A second storm forecast for overnight Thursday could drop an additional 2 inches of rain — with up to 3 inches in the San Gabriel Valley foothills — by Saturday, according to Stuart Seto of the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
The third storm, predicted to be the strongest, is expected to arrive Sunday. Fueled by warmer, moist air, it could dump up to 3 inches of rain in the valleys and foothills, and up to 5 inches in the mountains.
“That could be the biggest one, as far as the rainmakers,” Kaplan said.
Because of the rainfall, health officials cautioned those visiting beaches to be careful of swimming, surfing and playing in ocean waters around discharging storm drains, creeks and rivers.
Bacteria, debris, trash and other public health hazards from city streets and mountain areas are likely to enter ocean water through those outlets, according to an L.A. County Department of Public Health statement.
Because “discharging storm drains, creeks, and rivers only comprise a small portion of the beach,” the statement read, those who want to go to the beach can still do so.
“Swimmers and surfers are advised to stay away from discharge sites. There is the possibility bacterium or chemicals from debris and trash could contaminate the water near and around discharge sites, and individuals who enter the water in these areas could become ill,” the statement read.
The health advisory is in effect until at least 7 a.m. Sunday. It could be extended depending on further rainfall, officials said.