An intense Presidents Day storm arrived over parts of Southern California on Monday morning, Feb. 16, leading to heavy rains, strong winds, and flash-flood and evacuation warnings.
It is the first of three storms expected to land over Southern California this week.
“We’ve seen some very impressive rainfall rates,” said David Gomberg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “When you get that intense rainfall, that increases your chance of urban flooding.”
Parts of western Los Angeles, near UCLA and Venice, received over an inch of rain in an hour.
Evacuation warnings were in effect for burn scars of the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, and Sunset fires and will last until 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Authorities remained on standby for any weather-related issues or emergencies.
Los Angeles International Airport issued a ground stop for departing flights Monday morning, according to ABC7, with this first storm offering the risk of thunderstorms and reduced visibility.
Winds of 45 mph to 65 mph whipped near the Palisades burn scar and in the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains on Monday morning.
This storm is expected to taper off Monday evening, though showers might return in the overnight hours, with a 10% to 15% chance of isolated thunderstorms.
In Orange County and the Inland Empire, strong winds were possible at times until 8 a.m. Wednesday.
As of early Monday afternoon, no debris flows or weather-related injuries had been reported.
The second storm was expected to arrive over parts of the region Tuesday night, Feb. 17, and last into Wednesday.
“We are expecting a potential for snow over the Interstate 5 (Freeway) Grapevine area by Tuesday night and Wednesday,” said Mike Lofford, another Weather Service meteorologist. “So there could be some delays or closures on the highway.”
The third storm, on Thursday, is expected to be fast-moving, rolling though the area in the day and going into late afternoon.
“It’s probably going to be, you know, like three to six hours of moderate to locally heavy rain,” Lofford said.