STORM TO LINGER OVER SOUTHLAND
Unusually cool system for this time of year will bring showers for one more day
A cold winter storm that brought rain and snow to Southern California on Wednesday, and caused a mudslide in Orange County’s canyon community, is expected to stick around another day before moving out of the area by the end of the week.
Intermittent showers, including brief but intense bouts of rain and possibly hail or thunderstorms, are expected across Southern California today, forecasters say.
“We will have this on-andoff-again, hit-and-miss, showery situation with breaks in rain during the day and sunshine at times,” said Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Oxnard office. “It is definitely colder than the typical storms we have this time of year.”
All told, the storm is expected to bring an inch to 1½ inches of rain to Orange County and the Inland Empire and between half an inch and an inch of rain to the Los Angeles area.
The cooler weather means snowfall at lower elevations than usual, forecasters said, down to 3,000 feet. That will mean slow travel on the Cajon Pass and the Grapevine.
Early Wednesday, a mudslide in Silverado Canyon in
Orange County cut off a major thoroughfare and led to mandatory evacuations in portions of the remote
Modjeska, Williams and Silverado canyon communities.
Though no injuries were reported, the mud trapped cars and flowed into yards. A temporary evacuation point was set up at El Modena High School.
Forecasters said there was a small chance of minor mud and debris flow in other recent burn areas, and minor flooding is possible in some local cities.
The storm is expected to wind down Friday, with the temperature rising into the weekend. This week’s storm is not expected to compensate for what has been a dry fall and winter season.
“Any precipitation is beneficial,” said James Brotherton, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s San Diego office. “But it is just one storm system, so it is not going to make a huge dent.”