Rainfall after the weekendtriggered mudslides in regions affected by wildfire burns, and snow made driving hazardous. As a result, several roads and schools in the Southern California region are still closed.
Most of the flood watches for the burn scar area were discontinued by the National Weather Service. The Hughes Fire region is still under a flood watch till 10 a.m.
There is still a potential of some lingering showers throughout Tuesday morning, even though forecasters say the amount of rain will diminish as the morning and day wear on.
In places where the Palisades Fire had burnt a few weeks prior, residents in Pacific Palisades and Malibu encountered mudflows that resulted in road closures. Malibu school officials canceled Monday’s classes due to the hazardous mud conditions on the roads.
A Los Angeles Fire Department fire engine was among numerous vehicles stuck in a debris flow in Woodland Hills, which is located just north of the Santa Monica Mountains.
Authorities had issued warnings about the possibility of flooding and landslides in burn scar areas prior to the weather event. Residents were cautioned to be abreast of emergency notifications and weather announcements.
For residents of Altadena and Malibu, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department issued a mud and rockslide danger alert on Sunday. Those places were marked as “high-risk.”
In some areas of Los Angeles County, the rain started on Saturday morning and intensified over the night. According to the NWS, Topanga Canyon received.74 inches of rain, LAX received.95 inches, and the Malibu Hills region received roughly 1.06 inches.
The landslide-prone Malibu Canyon Road was closed by the Los Angeles Public Works. On Monday morning, the road was reopened. mud and debris on Topanga Canyon Boulevard at Pacific Coast Highway, according to Cal Trans. When crews will reopen the road is unknown.
There were lightning and thunder strikes in places including Santa Monica, Malibu, and Studio City.
Although there will be less rainfall, residents and drivers are nevertheless advised to use caution when driving in mountain and burn zones. It’s possible that the rain made the ground unstable.
Snow in mountain communities
For mountain regions, a winter weather advisory is in force until 4 p.m. on Monday. Snow accumulations might range from 4 to 8 inches, according to the NWS. Wind gusts of up to 35 mph are possible.
The California Highway Patrol stopped the I-5 Freeway through the Grapevine on Sunday night because of snow accumulation and hazardous driving conditions. Crews from Cal Trans are still working to clean the road. The freeway is still closed. The anticipated date of its reopening is not specified.
Due to the snow and dangerous driving conditions, the Rim of the World Unified School District declared that all schools will be closed on Monday.
When driving on icy roads, weather experts advised drivers to slow down and exercise caution.