UPDATED with evacuation orders: Los Angeles city and county officials have issued hundreds of mandatory evacuation orders for some of the areas scarred by the devastating wildfires near a year ago. Meanwhile, the National Weather Service is warning this atmospheric river storm event could be “very dangerous.”
The City of L.A. has issued evacuation warnings from 11 a.m. Tuesday through 11 p.m. Thursday for residents of Pacific Palisades and Mandeville Canyon near the Palisades Fire, and south of Runyon Canyon near the Sunset Fire area. Los Angeles County authorities issued evacuation warnings for residents near the Palisades, Eaton, Agua Dulce, Lidia, Franklin, Bridge, Canyon, Owen, Hurst and Kenneth fires. Those warnings will also begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
LAPD officers or Sheriff’s deputies were going door-to-door to high-risk residences to notify them of evacuation orders. Residents can check the evacuation status of their neighborhoods at protect.genasys.com.
Flood watches also are in effect through Thursday evening A flood watch will be in effect from Tuesday afternoon for much of the county, with mud and debris flows possible across foothill and mountain areas, including burn scars, the NWS said.
Preparations are under way with a major storm is making its way to Southern California this week.
LOS ANGELES – FEBRUARY 22: Downtown Los Angeles (top) and Hollywood (R) David McNew/Getty Images
The weather system also is being is also being described as a “Pineapple Express” event, which means it is picking up excessive moisture as it moves across the Pacific Ocean and makes landfall.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said residents who don’t heed the evacuation orders are “putting your lives at risk.” “Start preparing now,” he said. “Identify important items such as
medications, important documents and other essential items in case you must leave quickly.”
See details of the approaching storm below.
PREVIOUSLY, December 22: Dreaming of a wet Christmas? Wake up, Southern California — it’s coming.
The National Weather Service says the region can expect four or five days of rain starting Tuesday, with as much as a foot possible across the foothills and mountains and 4-8 inches across coastal and valley areas. Add some “very strong winds” on Tuesday and Wednesday — we’re talking 40-50 mph gusts in lower elevations and up to 80 mph in the mountains — and this is a potentially dangerous early-winter storm.
“There will almost certainly be numerous mudslides, severe flooding either from heavy rain or clogged storm drains and possibly debris flows near recent burn scars,” the NWS said.
The City of Los Angeles activated its Emergency Operations Center today.
An atmospheric river is targeting most of California, just in time to drench Christmas plans. About a half-inch of rain is forecast for Tuesday evening in the Southland, with the heaviest stuff hitting overnight and into Christmas Eve — we’re talking an inch an hour.
“Hourly rain rates, especially in the upslope areas, should easily top one inch per hour during the peak of the storm on Wednesday,” the NWS said today. “The heaviest rain will be in the south-facing mountains, but very heavy rain, possibly close to an inch per hour, is possible at lower elevations as well. … Anyone in particularly vulnerable areas … or any recent burn scars should start taking protective actions ASAP.”
Might want to rethink that open sleigh, Mr. Claus.
The downpour should abate some by Christmas Day, but forecasters warn that periods of possibly heavy rain will continue on Thursday. That will turn to showers on Friday and Saturday, likely less than a quarter-inch per hour. It’s a warmer rain event, so snow isn’t expected to be a major factor.
All this comes after the wettest November in some parts of Southern California since records have been kept. With two months left in the rainy season, this already is the third-wettest on record. It might end up as the wettest since records began being kept in 1870s.
It never rains in Southern California? It pours — man, it pours.
City News Service contributed to this report.
