1st of 3 rainstorms hit Southland; Interstate 5 is closed through the Grapevine
The first of three rainstorms moved through Southern California on Monday, and residents now have to contend with extremely cold conditions that could drop the snow level down to 1,500 feet.
Temperatures in the mountain areas could drop into the single digits overnight and the 30s and 40s in the Los Angeles Basin. That could mean a dusting of snow in lower mountain elevations as well as some Los Angeles-area foothill communities.
“With the outside temperature that chilly and all that moisture in the air, give yourself time to warm up your car’s engine and clean the frost off your windshield,” said Stuart Seto, a weather specialist with the National Weather Service. “It’s going to be pretty cold.”
The California Highway Patrol closed Interstate 5 in both directions through the Grapevine because of icy conditions shortly after 5 p.m. Monday. It was unclear when it would reopen.
Another storm is expected to arrive Thursday, prompting more concerns about slides on hills scorched by wildfire. Today and Wednesday should be relatively dry with a chance of scattered showers.
Early Monday, the prospect of mudflows bearing down on homes in the Station fire burn area had Los Angeles County and city emergency services crews preparing for the worst. Mandatory evacuations were issued in some canyon areas but were later lifted. Workers cleaned out debris basins and installed concrete barriers in vulnerable areas.
Bill Patzert, a climatologist with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge, said that under ordinary conditions the rainfall would be a welcome event, as the region is locked in nearly five years of dry conditions. But the massive Station fire has put a damper on any good feelings.
“We’d be celebrating right now if it hadn’t been for the Station fire,” he said. “It really denuded the hillsides from Arroyo Seco to Big Tujunga, so people in those neighborhoods are on pins and needles.”
With good reason. Though there are far more precautions in place now, including catchment basins that can slow or halt mud and debris flows, Southern California has a history of rains triggering deadly mudslides after large wildfires. Two of the worst happened during the holidays.
On New Year’s Day in 1934, heavy rains led to flooding and mudslides in La Crescenta and Montrose that destroyed more than 140 homes and killed more than 40 people. And on Christmas Day in 2003, flooding killed 14 people, including several children, celebrating at a campsite in the San Bernardino Mountains.
“Well, tis the season,” said Skeet McAuley, 58, as he spent the afternoon securing sandbags on Earnslow Drive in La Cañada Flintridge. “The rain I’m not afraid of. It’s the mud.”
More and possibly heavier rain is expected Thursday and then again Saturday.
Predictably, the most dramatic effect of the downpour was seen on roads. The CHP said officers responded to three times as many crashes Monday morning as they did a week before. One man survived after his car rolled 300 feet off Malibu Canyon Road.
“He was pretty lucky,” said L.A. County Fire Inspector Matt Levesque. “He came out with minor injuries.”
Lil Wittman wasn’t worried about the rains, or about mudslides, but the owner of the Big Bear Mountain Brewery said she was excited about what the chilling cold could bring. She said that once a layer of snow settles, more customers should come into the restaurant her family has owned for 11 years.
“When it’s snowing, it’s really slow because people are afraid to come, but this weekend it’ll be fabulous,” Wittman, 53, said. “The roads will be clear, and we’ll have lots of snow on the ground, so it’ll be great.”
Less than a mile away, at the Timber Haven Lodge, owner Mehrdad Damavandi waited for a snowplow to clear his parking lot, where 6 inches of snow had swiftly fallen.
For Wittman, the 1 to 2 feet of snow that’s expected for Big Bear Lake is perfect, she said.
“They come in here after they go skiing and have a beer or a cup of hot chocolate and sit by the fire,” she said. “As long as people are slow and careful and have chains on their tires, they’ll have a great time.”
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