Rain moving out of SoCal; dry and warm Christmas weekend ahead
LOS ANGELES - After a week of heavy downpours, Christmas weekend will be warm and dry.
National Weather Service forecasters said there were light showers in the Los Angeles area early Friday morning. But the rain is expected to taper off Friday night and Saturday and Sunday is expected to be dry.
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The weather was active across the area Thursday, with isolated thunderstorms developing and dropping impressive amounts of rain in some areas.
A flood watch in the Los Angeles area expired late Thursday night, but Orange County will be under a flood watch until Friday evening.
The five-day rain total as of 5 p.m. Thursday in Beverly Hills was 2.66 inches. In Bel Air and Culver City, it was 2.64 inches.
In Northridge, it was 4 inches. In Woodland Hills, it was 3.49 inches. At Morris Dam, it was 2.18 inches.
Early Thursday, Los Angeles County Public Works officials heightened the agency's mudflow warning level for recent burn areas, alerting residents that debris flows are possible. The heightened alert affected recent burn areas in the Topanga Canyon, Agua Dulce, La Tuna Canyon and Duarte areas.
By mid-afternoon, however, the agency dropped all of its mudflow alerts, indicating the threat of such flooding had diminished.
Duarte city officials initiated a "yellow alert" status in the Fish Fire burn area at 4 p.m. Thursday, continuing until 8 a.m. Friday. The alert affects roughly 25 homes along Mel Canyon Road between Brookridge and Fish Canyon roads. Parking restrictions will be in place along that stretch, as well as on Deerlane Drive between Mel Canyon Road and Greenbank Avenue.
Residents in the affected Duarte area were also instructed to remove all trash bins from the street, and place them on their driveways closer to their homes, where they will be picked up manually at the 25 homes in the alert area. On Friday morning, student dropoffs at Valley View Elementary School will take place on Deerlane Drive. No dropoffs will be permitted on Mel Canyon Road, officials said.
In the Topanga Canyon area, an evacuation warning was issued for roughly 20 homes along Santa Maria Road north of Topanga Canyon Boulevard.
Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park in Valencia was closed for a second straight day Thursday due to the bad weather. Park officials said tickets purchased for those days can be redeemed any other day for the rest of the year.
Los Angeles County Lifeguards warned people to exercise caution if they visit the beach.
"Ocean conditions will also have a bit more activity with waves in the head to overhead range," lifeguards warned on social media. "Plenty of varying factors these next few days, so make sure to stay tuned, and if you decide to come to the beach make it a point to check in with a lifeguard tower prior to entering the water."
County health officials issued their standard warning for people to avoid entering the ocean water in the days following rain, noting that runoff can carry bacteria and debris into the ocean, raising the risk of illness.
Los Angeles County officials said various agencies were coordinating to ensure public safety while also hoping to capture as much stormwater as possible for future use.
Public Works officials said Thursday afternoon that roughly 717 million gallons of stormwater had been captured by the agency's retention systems this week. Since Oct. 1, roughly 5 billion gallons of stormwater had been captured, enough to meet the needs of 121,600 people, public works officials said.
County officials urged residents to heed instructions from emergency responders and alert notifications; drive cautiously and slow down in wet conditions; and avoid trying to cross flooded roadways.