Three New Storm Fronts Bring More Rain and Snow To Los Angeles This Week

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Another round of rain and snow will move through Southern California starting Monday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a winter weather advisory for parts of Los Angeles County.

A winter weather advisory is in effect for Los Angeles County mountains, including Acton and Mount Wilson, until 1 p.m. Tuesday. A winter storm watch will be in effect from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday evening.

Moderate snowfall of between 5 and 10 inches is expected during the winter weather advisory, according to the NWS. Heavy snow is possible Tuesday night and Wednesday, with 6 to 12 inches of snow expected for elevations above 5,000 feet, and as much as 15 inches in the San Gabriel Mountains. Wind gusts could reach 60 mph.

Dangerous driving conditions could result from the snowy and winter conditions, forecasters warned.

Southern California was just beginning to dry out from two days of virtually nonstop rain Sunday, although thousands of people remained without electricity in Los Angeles County.

The powerful winter storm dumped 10.79 inches of rain on Woodland Hills through Sunday morning, 9.29 inches in La Cañada Flintridge, 8.38 inches in Newhall, 8.11 inches in Pasadena, 6.88 inches in Burbank, 6.76 inches in Bel Air and 4.49 inches in downtown Los Angeles, according to the NWS.

Mountain High received 93 inches of snow, and 40 inches dropped on Mount Wilson.

The torrential rains in La Cañada Flintridge prompted a mudslide Sunday that severely damaged at least one home on Paulette Place and raised concerns about additional slides that could occur with more rain.

A series of three storm fronts will be pushing through the area this week, forecasters said. The weakest of the three was being felt in the region Monday, with only "modest" precipitation anticipated. The second front was expected to arrive Monday afternoon, also with relatively light precipitation, although some areas will see significant wind gusts.

The strongest front is expected late Tuesday into Wednesday. Forecasters said by the time the storm series ends, most valley and coastal areas would see between 0.75 to 1.25 inches of rain, with some mountain areas receiving up to 3 inches.

"Gusty southwest to west winds are possible for periods of times, especially across the interior portions of the area and mountain areas over the next several days," according to the NWS.

".. Snow levels will range between 2500 and 4000 feet through (the) storm, bumping up through (Monday), then crashing back down again tonight. By Tuesday night and Wednesday, the snow levels will crash again, even farther down, probably closer to 2000 to 2500 feet. It is possible a rain-snow mix could reach some of the lower mountain passes, higher valleys, and foothill communities again during this time."

State Route 2 in the Angeles National Forest remained closed Monday from two miles north of I-210 to Islip Saddle due to snow. State Route 39 in the Angeles National Forest was closed at East Fork Road due to mud and debris blocking the roadway.

Power Outages

Meanwhile, thousands of people remained without electricity Monday following the powerful storms.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reported late Sunday that roughly 38,500 customers were still without power, but crews had restored power to 127,000 customers who lost electricity during the storm event. The utility reported that crews were working around the clock to get the power back on.

A DWP worker was in intensive care after suffering an injury while working to restore power Saturday in the San Fernando Valley, according to the utility.

"This accident and serious injury of our employee is a reminder that our line crews and other field personnel are truly unsung heroes who work in hazardous conditions risking their lives to keep the power flowing across our city," LADWP General Manager Martin Adams said.

Meanwhile, Southern California Edison's outage map showed 60 outages affecting more than 2,400 customers across its vast service area, including about 500 in Los Angeles County and about 40 in Orange County.

Los Angeles County health officials continued to warn people to avoid going into the ocean near discharging storm drains, creeks and rivers until at least Wednesday due to the storms. The water might contain bacteria, chemicals, debris, trash and other health hazards.

Temperatures continue to be well below normal. Daytime highs on Sunday were 54 degrees in downtown Los Angeles, 52 in North Hollywood, 51 in Pasadena and 49 in Valencia. Those numbers were expected to be roughly the same over the next few days.

Lows were mostly in the 30s, dropping to the 20s in some mountain areas and in the 40s in Orange County.

This weekend was the first time downtown Los Angeles received at least 2 inches of rain on consecutive calendar days since Feb. 28 and March 1 of 1978, according to the NWS.

The weather service added that Friday was the wettest February day at Burbank Airport since records began there in 1939, beating the previous record of 4.50 inches set on Feb. 8, 1993.

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