Rainfall Brings Floods, Snarls

More than an inch of rain fell Tuesday in downtown Los Angeles, enough to make the current rainfall season the second wettest since the National Weather Service began keeping records in 1877.

The rain, often accompanied by thunder and lightning, flooded some intersections in the San Fernando Valley and knocked out power in several Los Angeles neighborhoods.

The agency said 1.08 inches had accumulated at USC by 10 p.m. That raised the total for the season to 35.89 inches, easily topping the old second-place figure of 34.84 inches during the 1889-90 season.

The seasons run from July 1 through June 30.

The wettest season on record was in 1883-84, when Los Angeles was hit with 38.18 inches. The driest was 2001-02, with 4.42 inches.

On Tuesday, brief downpours snarled commuter traffic in several areas and flooded the McClure Tunnel in Santa Monica.

Temporary power outages were reported in Canoga Park, Pacific Palisades, Pacoima, Winnetka and South Los Angeles, according to the city Department of Water and Power. More than 10,000 customers were affected.

In most cases, power was restored within a few hours, but DWP officials said it could be early this morning before all power is restored in Winnetka, where a subterranean transformer failed, apparently because of water damage.

Southern California Edison Co. said an additional 45,000 homes lost power momentarily across a broad swath of Southern California.

The heavy rain sent muddy runoff through the streets of La Conchita, the Ventura County coastal community where 10 people were killed in a massive mudslide Jan. 10.

But officials said the coursing water had become commonplace since the slide, and there were no additional slides or major damage Tuesday.

Flash-flood watches and mudslide warnings were issued for parts of Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, but there were no reports of serious problems or severe damage.

Forecasters warned that as much as 10 inches of snow could fall overnight in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains.

The National Weather Service said there was a 50% chance of showers today, with rain likely Thursday. Partly cloudy skies were expected Friday, with mostly sunny weather Saturday and Sunday.

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Times staff writer Nicholas Shields contributed to this report.