SAN DIEGO — Heavy rains drenched Southern California on Tuesday as nearly all of the state's coastal areas were under a flood watch as of Wednesday morning.
The rainfall comes two weeks after a massive storm caused widespread and dangerous flooding across Southern California, but meteorologists said this week's rainfall will move more quickly and will not resemble the recent atmospheric river that claimed several lives.
After a brief lull Monday afternoon, the storm brought more rain and strong winds Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Higher areas witnessed heavy snowfall, and thunderstorms and strong winds were expected over large areas of the state.
The weather service said the atmospheric river that causes rainfall is expected to lose intensity over time. Light to moderate rain is expected on Wednesday. Coastal flood warnings are in effect for all coastal areas, and certain areas along Santa Barbara County waterways are under evacuation warnings through Wednesday morning, the weather service said.
“This system has the potential to bring high-impact weather and flooding concerns to the area through Tuesday evening,” the National Weather Service office in Los Angeles said.
The system will head toward the Intermountain West as it weakens, bringing more rain across the Great Basin, Rockies and eventually the Four Corners by Wednesday.
Flood warnings were issued Monday for the west side of Los Angeles, the Santa Monica Mountains, and the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys.
Federal authorities have too Certified disaster assistance To San Diego County residents in response to the Pineapple Express storm about two weeks ago, which created a state of emergency in eight counties and damaged hundreds of homes. Some areas in the region saw up to 8 inches of rain while Los Angeles saw 4 inches, surpassing the most rain the city has seen in a single day in more than 20 years.
The death was reported in Santa Barbara County
An 86-year-old man was found dead in a creek a day after he was reported missing, Santa Barbara County sheriff's officials said Tuesday. Authorities found his truck stuck in high water near Goleta.
The cause of death is under investigation, KSBY-TV reported.
Ethan Ragsdale, spokesman for the Santa Barbara Police Department, urged residents to stay away from streams and other bodies of water even after the rain subsides.
“They are very dangerous,” he said.
Rain shutters at theme parks in SoCal, mudslides in San Francisco
Tuesday rain disrupts 'happiest place on earth'; Disneyland has had to shorten its hours. Other parks in Southern California, including Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park and SeaWorld in San Diego, have closed completely.
A portion of the Pacific Coast Highway south of Los Angeles was closed due to flooding risk Evacuation warnings It continues through Wednesday and is exported to the west due to possible mudslides.
Streets and sidewalks in San Francisco were flooded, and mudslides closed roads leading to the north and south of the city.
How much rain had fallen until Tuesday?
The Bel Air area of California, about 12 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, recorded 4.3 inches of rain over three days that ended Tuesday. Mountainous areas of Santa Barbara County received about 11 inches of rain over three days, the weather service reported.
Heavy rain fell in Los Angeles, with rain increasing overnight with an additional 1 to 2 inches on top of the 2 to 5 inches the area has received in recent days, according to Bob Oravec, a meteorologist with the weather service.
Higher rainfall totals are expected to hit areas of the immediate coast, and in the mountains and foothills of Los Angeles, an additional 3 to 5 inches of rain may fall.
“Flooding may occur in areas of poor drainage and urban areas including highways and local roads,” the weather service warned.
The Los Angeles area has received about 10 inches of rain so far this month, while parts of the coast and mountainous areas farther north have received more than a foot of rain, Oravec said.
While rain stopped across Los Angeles later Tuesday afternoon, the San Diego Weather Service said some areas could experience low-level flooding, impacting travel in Orange County and the Inland Empire.
According to weather service radar, there was steady rainfall from northern Orange County to the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains on Tuesday. The area received 1 to 2 inches of rain and 3.5 inches in the foothills.
As rain moves south into San Diego County, the weather service said shower activity is expected to become more isolated in the afternoon with widespread rain expected in the evening and overnight.
The Los Angeles Weather Service said that dry and warm weather will occur on Thursday and Friday.
California weather map
US weather monitoring and warnings
National weather radar
Rain on Monday flooded the runway at the local airport
Monday's storm led to several rescue operations in northern and central California, where people were trapped in vehicles amid flooding on roads. A man camping northeast of Sacramento was rescued from a tree as floodwaters rose, KCRA-TV reported.
The Santa Barbara Airport closed Monday after up to 10 inches of rain fell in the area by noon, covering runways with water. All commercial flights were canceled and airport officials temporarily suspended general aviation operations.
Contributor: Sibylle Mayes Osterman, USA Today; Associated Press
