Storm Finally Arrives

A sluggish but persistent Pacific storm finally moved inland across Southern California on Thursday afternoon, dropping steady rain that snarled commuter traffic and threatened to set off more mudslides on already saturated hillsides.

The storm, originally expected to arrive late Tuesday, stalled off the Central California coast for two days before hitting Los Angeles. Once here, it was expected to stay awhile, with intermittent rain at least through Monday.

“It certainly won’t be raining that entire time, but it will more often than not,” the National Weather Service said. “Additional rain will increase the threat of rock and mudslide activity, [and] if we get two to three days of steady light to moderate rain, there will be problems with flooding.”

Record rains in December and January have soaked the ground in Southern California. On Jan. 10, a massive mudslide destroyed part of the Ventura County coastal community of La Conchita, killing 10 people. Other slides wiped out homes in Orange County and cut canyon and mountain roads in Ventura, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

The California Highway Patrol said it had responded to 130 traffic incidents -- everything from fender-benders to debris in the road -- from noon to 4 p.m. Thursday in Los Angeles County, about 45% more than normal.

The weather service said 0.11 of an inch of rain had fallen on downtown Los Angeles by 4 p.m. That raised the total for the season, which began July 1, to 25.27 inches, well over twice the normal figure for the date. Other daily totals by 4 p.m. included 0.36 of an inch in Santa Maria, .24 in Goleta, 0.14 in Ojai, 0.11 in Burbank, 0.05 in Claremont and 0.02 in Palmdale.

Forecasters said there should be periods of rain today and Saturday, with a chance of rain Sunday. Rain is likely Monday and Monday night, with a slight chance of showers Tuesday before the storm heads east. Dry weather is expected Wednesday.