L.A. Mayor Garcetti gives advice on El Niño -- from LACMA’s ‘Rain Room’ -- in new video
With a new El Niño storm bringing rain to Southern California, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has posted a public service announcement -- from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s “Rain Room.”
Garcetti picked the ironic venue to talk about rain safety and point residents to the city’s El Niño Web page.
The storm hit Monday morning commuters hard with rain, thunder and lightning Monday.
Drivers were startled early Monday by the rumble of thunder, frequent lightning flashes and hail.
LIVE BLOG: Thunder and lightning! Severe weather hits Southern California
The storm system is expected to bring half an inch to an inch of rain, with the steadiest rain coming early in the day as the cold front moves through the region. Behind the cold front, rainfall will become “more showery,” with thunderstorms possible throughout the afternoon and evening, the weather service said.
Thunderstorms will be capable of producing debris flows near burn areas. Forecasters issued a flash flood warning early Monday for the Solimar burn area in western Ventura County.
The storm brought pea-sized hail to much of the Southland, covering the ground in areas near Sierra Madre and Altadena, said Stuart Seto, a weather specialist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. In areas experiencing thunderstorms, lightning is possible throughout the evening, he said.
The system also brought strong winds, with reports of gusts up to 64 mph near Point Mugu in the Santa Monica Mountains and gusts over 50 mph in other mountain areas, Seto said.
This is not the first time Garcetti took to personal videos to communicate with the city. When demolition of the 6th Street Bridge caused the 101 Freeway to be closed, Garcetti performed a slow jam to mark the event.
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