The worst of the storm that drenched Southern California appeared to have passed by Saturday evening, as authorities continue the search for a 5-year-old girl who was swept into the Pacific Ocean by large waves.
The National Weather Service office for Los Angeles reported that all flood advisories have expired, though it was keeping an eye on the possibility of thunderstorms capable of producing floods and mudflows associated with burn-scar areas.
Federal forecasters said much of Southern California could still experience 0.5 to 1.5 inches of rain through early Sunday, with nearly 30 million people across the state under flood notices Saturday that range from milder advisories to more serious watches that urge people to be ready to flee.
Two dead, child missing
Two people died in central and Northern California as the storm made its way down the coast, and the desperate search for the young girl is ongoing.
She was pulled into the ocean at Garrapata State Park in Monterey County by 15- to 20-foot waves, according to California State Parks.
Her father, identified Saturday night as 39-year-old Yuji Hu, of Calgary, Canada, tried to rescue her but both were pulled farther into the ocean, authorities said. An off-duty California State Parks lifeguard pulled the man from the water, but he was later pronounced dead at a local hospital, the parks agency said.
The girl’s mother was also swept into the water, the parks agency said, but was able to return to land with the lifeguard’s help. She was hospitalized with mild hypothermia, it said.
In Northern California, a 71-year-old man was killed in Sutter County after his car was swept away by the overflowing Pleasant Grove Creek, according to the California Highway Patrol.
“Signage indicating the road was flooded was displayed in both directions on Fifield Road,” the highway patrol said. “The California Highway Patrol urges motorists to never cross flooded roadways for any reason.”
Heavy rainfall
The classic winter-pattern storm from the Gulf of Alaska fed off subtropical Pacific water that formed an atmospheric river aloft, which helped it deliver a relatively warm deluge to Southern California overnight.
The heaviest showers were recorded in Santa Barbara County mountains, where the San Marcos Pass measured nearly 8.5 inches of rain by 11 a.m. Saturday. The county recorded multiple readings of more than 8 inches of rain. To the east, Ventura County’s Nordhoff Ridge in the Topatopa Mountains posted 7.24 inches.
In the region’s most populous communities, preliminary storm totals were significantly lower: 1.6 inches for Los Angeles International Airport; nearly 2 inches in Beverly Hills and Pasadena; and just under 1 inch at San Diego International Airport.
Still, those numbers represent a significant portion of the areas’ annual rainfall, with San Diego recording more than 10% of its median annual rain five weeks before the start of meteorological winter.
Winter weather advisories remain in place for the southern Sierra Nevada mountains, where up to 16 inches of snow will be possible overnight in areas above 7,000 feet. Lake Tahoe is covered by an advisory from 10 p.m. Saturday through 4 p.m. Monday, according to the weather service.
“Travel could be very difficult to impossible,” it said in an urgent winter weather message on Saturday.
The active pattern over the Pacific will continue, and Northern and central California will see another round of rain and mountain snow late Sunday into Monday. Some rain will also expand into Southern California on Monday afternoon and evening.
Burn scar areas still at risk
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass encouraged residents to stay prepared amid flood watches and heavy rainfall, adding that the city’s emergency operation center has been activated.
“Due to the potential for debris flows, an Evacuation Warning remains in effect within and around all recent burn scar areas, and select vulnerable properties remain under Evacuation Orders through 8AM tomorrow,” Bass said on X Saturday. “LAPD has notified these impacted property owners.”
The Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management said that burn-scar areas created by January’s disastrous wildfires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena are covered by evacuation warnings Saturday. They were under selective evacuation orders Friday night through Saturday morning.
In Malibu, all lanes of Malibu Canyon Road were reported flooded Saturday morning, while there were reports of roadway flooding in Ventura on the Seaward Avenue off-ramp of Highway 101.
Even as the worst seems to have passed, the Los Angeles Fire Department advised residents of the state’s largest city to stay put. “LAFD continues to advise staying indoors, or avoiding flooded roadways if driving is absolutely necessary,” it said on Saturday.
