Southern California braces for powerful storm Monday, with heavy rain, snow, wind
A major storm is expected to hit much of Southern California on Monday, with forecasters again warning residents of massive waves and intense rip currents along the coast.
The region is likely to see heavy rain and snow, and powerful winds blowing in from the north, according to the National Weather Service. The latest storm is part of a “relentless parade of atmospheric rivers,” long, narrow plumes of moisture in the atmosphere – like rivers in the sky.
On Sunday afternoon, Governor Gavin Newsom, who declared a state of emergency last week before storms pounded Northern California, said he was in contact with the White House and would be asking for an official federal emergency declaration ahead of the new storm.
“We will be reaching out formally within the hour,” Newsom said.
The earlier storms, which started last week and stretched into the weekend, led to flooding in some communities. At least 12 people have died, Newsom said.
Facing a new deluge, Newsom asked state residents to hunker down until at least Tuesday night.
“(We) expect to see the worst of it still in front of us. We’re anticipating worse, very intense weather coming in,” he said from a state emergency operations center.
“These floods are deadly … just be cautious over the next week, and in particular over the next day or two.”
A winter storm warning for the Los Angeles area will begin at 4 a.m. on Monday and run through 10 p.m. on Tuesday. Authorities throughout the region are concerned about possible debris flows, especially in burn scar areas, along with urban flooding and trees toppling onto homes and cars.
Major storm still on track to affect SW CA tonight through Tuesday. Heaviest rain likely Mon afternoon-Tue. Impacts include urban and small stream flooding. possible mainstem river flooding & mud and debris flows in and around recent burn areas. #cawx #LAWeather #SoCal pic.twitter.com/Bn3zWtyXXY
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) January 8, 2023
Rainfall amounts are on track for 2 to 4 inches for the coast and valleys, and up to 4 to 8 inches in the mountains.
The Los Angeles NWS office also warned of dangerous waters off the coast, signaling that surfers and boaters should stay out of the ocean on Monday and Tuesday.
“There is an increased risk of ocean drowning,” the NWS said. “Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats near shore.”
In Orange County and the Inland Empire, a flood watch is in effect from late Monday through Tuesday evening.
A FLOOD WATCH has been issued for Orange County, the Inland Empire, San Bernardino/Riverside County Mountains
— NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) January 8, 2023
The NWS predicts possible thunderstorms on Tuesday for downtown Riverside, Hemet and Temecula, where winds are expected to come in at 10 to 20 mph and some as high as 30 mph. In the mountains, gusts of 40 mph are expected Monday night, and 45 mph Tuesday evening.
The snow level is expected to get down to 5,500 by Tuesday evening.
The storm already battered much of Northern California and parts of the L.A. area last week and this weekend. Hundreds of thousands of people remained without power in the Sacramento area on Sunday, with widespread damage to roads, sidewalks, vehicles and homes reported.
Southern California escaped serious damage from last week’s storm, though shorelines were severely eroded and some piers were damaged.
Look at how much California’s snowpack has grown in the last 12 days
City News Service contributed to this report.