Storm Pelts Southland; Flood, Slide Risk Rises

A violent Pacific storm finally marched onshore Monday, pelting Southern California with wind-swept downpours that pushed rivers and creeks to the tops of their banks and threatened widespread flooding.

A mudslide closed a 10-mile stretch of Malibu Canyon Road late Monday, preventing access between the Ventura Freeway and Pacific Coast Highway.

Forecasters said the storm had stalled off the coast for several days before launching its assault, picking up moisture from the sea that it hurled at the mountains and foothills ringing some of the Southland’s major cities.

The storm had dumped more than 13 inches of rain in the hills above the Santa Ynez Valley by nightfall Monday, and torrential runoff from slopes already saturated by earlier storms sent the Santa Ynez River and several tributaries surging above flood stage. Officials warned that homes in low-lying areas near Lompoc and Vandenberg Air Force Base were in danger of flooding.

The Ventura River near Ventura was rapidly approaching flood stage, prompting the evacuation of a riverfront mobile home park near Ventura and threatening to close U.S. 101 near Oxnard.

By Monday afternoon, the core of the storm had begun moving into the Los Angeles area, where as much as 2 inches of rain was expected by this morning, with up to another inch by tonight. Flood warnings were issued through today in Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa

Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

As much as 3 feet of new snow was forecast in the Tehachapi, San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains, which already had snowpacks up to 6 feet deep.

The National Weather Service said winds up to 40 mph could whip up blizzard conditions that will drop mountain visibility to near zero. Gusts twice that strong toppled vehicles on Interstate 5 near Gorman before dawn Monday, forcing closure of the state’s principal north-south highway for several hours.

Tim McClung, a Weather Service meteorologist, said the snow level would be relatively high: 6,000 to 7,000 feet. He said the heavy rain could cause significant snowmelt below that level, contributing to the potentially damaging runoff from slopes already soaked to capacity.

McClung said the storm was a classic “cutoff low” left behind in a swirling eddy of the high altitude jet stream winds that continue to funnel the storm track through Southern California. The storm circled warily off the coast throughout the weekend, spinning off bands of moisture that triggered light showers in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Finally, on Monday, “it started coming right at us,” he said. “It’s not moving very fast, so it’s going to be around for a while.”

Officials in Santa Barbara County said the Santa Ynez River and some of the creeks feeding it were gnawing away at their banks and threatening to overflow at several points in the Santa Ynez Valley.

“I’ve lost probably three nice oak trees and a real nice sycamore right along the creek bank,” said Bill Mosby, owner of a small winery in Buellton. “The flood water just comes and washes the soil right out from under the roots. Big, monstrous trees--it just rips ‘em out and takes ‘em away.”

Several houses in low-lying areas of Goleta and the Hope Ranch district near Santa Barbara experienced minor flooding, and a mudslide ripped away a guest cottage at a home in Hope Ranch, burying two cars.

In Ventura County, California Highway Patrol officers watched water inching up toward the roadway of the U.S. 101 bridge over the Ventura River. If the freeway is shut down and the weather forces the closure of Interstate 5 near Gorman, the state would be denied the use of its two main north-south highways.

Late Monday, a mudslide blocked California 150 between Carpinteria and Meiners Oaks. Caltrans said the road probably won’t reopen until next weekend.

Ventura County officials warned that if the rain continued, there could be widespread flooding in the county by this morning.

“A lot of rivers will be peaking before breakfast,” said Dolores Taylor, a senior hydrologist with the county.

In Malibu, the canyon road was expected to be closed all night and perhaps this morning.

“No one was injured in the slide, but a vehicle was stuck in the mud,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Rosa Ray.

In downtown Los Angeles, the storm total by 4 p.m. Monday was 0.66 of an inch of rain. That raised the total for the season, which runs from July 1 through June 30, to 16.36 inches. The normal total for the date is 11.30 inches.

McClung said the heavy rain would continue through tonight, tapering off Wednesday and Thursday. He said another storm arriving Friday should bring more snow and rain through the weekend.

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Times staff writers Carol Chambers in the San Fernando Valley and David Kelly and Margaret Talev in Ventura County contributed to this story.