A river storm in the atmosphere that dumped record amounts of rain on Northern California is now bringing much less rain to Southern California.
The National Weather Service in Oxnard’s Joe Sirard said, “The whole thing weakened and moved down the coast.” “This is its last gasp.”
It started to rain in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties early Saturday morning. By noon, it was supposed to hit Los Angeles County.
It might rain between tenths of an inch and three-quarters of an inch in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Some places in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties could get up to an inch of rain. However, Sirard said that the Rocky Butte weather station had already recorded over three inches of rain in the hills of far northwest San Luis Obispo County by 9 a.m.
Sirard said that a second round of rain would start on Sunday in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties and then move south, possibly hitting Los Angeles County by Sunday night or Monday. There is a 40% to 50% chance of more rain on Monday. He said that rain might last until Wednesday. He also said that there is a small chance of rain in San Luis Obispo County on Thanksgiving Day.
For San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, that second storm system could bring half an inch to an inch of rain. For Ventura County, it could bring a third to a half inch, and for Los Angeles County, it could bring a tenth to a quarter of an inch.
Forecasters say there isn’t a good chance of dangerous floods or any other big problems in Southern California. However, roads could get slippery and make it hard for people to get around.
People who live on or near the Portuguese Bend landslide area in Rancho Palos Verdes are getting more worried about the coming rainy season. This is because more rain means more groundwater, which is what is causing the terrible land movement that is happening right now.
But city officials are hoping that large-scale “winterization efforts,” such as making drainage better, filling in cracks, and lining canyon walls, will help any new rain have less of an impact. A lot of those projects are done, but some are still in progress. David Copp, the city’s deputy public works director, said the work is meant to “best prepare ourselves for the wet weather season ahead.”
The city says that parts of the landslide have slowed down recently and in some places have even stopped moving completely. However, more rain is always a worry for this shaky area.
There was flooding and the risk of mudslides in Northern California because of the storm. The Sierra got several feet of snow.