12th Atmospheric River Storm Has SoCal On High Alert

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — Once again, Southern California is bracing for another atmospheric-river-fueled storm, bringing three days of steady rain, powerful wind gusts and snow levels dropping as low as 3,000 feet in the local mountains.

This storm is expected to be colder and windier than the last, making for hazardous driving conditions in the mountains and passes, warned the National Weather Service.

“This will be a soggy first half of the week, with many hours of light to moderate steady rain,” warned the National Weather Service. “Expect plenty of water, rocks, mud on roads, and minor urban and creek flooding.”

The National Weather Service issued wind advisories for Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange and San Diego counties for Tuesday. A Winter Weather Advisory is in place through Wednesday in the local mountains. A high surf advisory will be in effect from Malibu to San Diego Wednesday. While the surf advisory is set to expire for Los Angeles and Orange County beaches by Thursday, it will remain in effect for San Diego through Thursday.

The 12th atmospheric river-fueled storm to hit Southern California since January, the threat posed by the latest storm includes the potential for sinkholes, flooding and mudslides in already water-logged areas.

Authorities are already on high alert in Orange County where landslides last week threatened blufftop homes in Newport Beach and San Clemente and briefly shut down PCH.
Landslides remain an ongoing threat with the latest storm.

---

Elsewhere around the region, the steady battering of storms has opened up sinkholes and massive potholes. On Sunday, a sinkhole opened up on the Golden State (5) Freeway in Los Angeles County. During Last week’s storm, massive potholes developed, including one that shut down State Route 71 in Pomona after it disabled dozens of cars, causing about 30 flat tires, according to the California Highway Patrol.

SEE ALSO:

• Help On The Way For OC Residents Impacted By Landslide
• SoCal Storm Wreaks Havoc, Landslides And Flooding Across OC
• House Demolished After Landslide In Newport Beach Thursday

Light showers fell Sunday and are expected to continue Monday across Southern California, but the heaviest rain is expected Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
The region can expect light-to-moderate rain, lasting all day Tuesday and Wednesday, dropping between 1 to 3 inches of rain and 1 to 2 feet of snow at higher elevations in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains

“The next storm is expected to be colder than the last, so snow levels will lower to around 3000-4000 feet by Wednesday morning. At resort level and above, 1-2 feet of snow is expected. Light snow up to 2 ” is possible over the Tejon Pass, so travel will likely be impacted," the weather service warned. “Dangerous to impossible driving conditions will be possible in the high mountains, with still hazardous driving conditions elsewhere due to periods of moderate rain and strong crosswinds.”

In the San Diego County mountains, authorities expect Palomar Mountain and Mount Laguna to see less than a foot of snow.

According to AccuWeather, Big Bear Mountain can expect steady snow through Wednesday night with daily highs in the low 30s.

In the Los Angeles area, coastal communities can expect daytime highs in the upper 50s while the San Fernando Valley and Downtown areas will see highs in the low 60s through Wednesday. Most of Orange County can expect highs in the upper 50s and low 60s until a slight warming trend hits Friday.

In Riverside County, daytime highs will be a brisk 46 to 54 degrees in the Banning area and 42 to 54 degrees in the Southwest Riverside County area.

The San Diego area can expect highs between 55 and 58 degrees all week.