Laguna Niguel's Rainfall Totals From Tropical Storm Hilary

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA — Rain from Tropical Storm Hilary was tapering off Monday as the unsettled weather system moved to the north, but sporadic showers continued to fall and cleanup operations were underway as mudflows and flooding impacted some roads and highways. Laguna Niguel saw roughly 2.20 inches from the storm, according to the National Weather Service.

In Orange County, there were no significant issues along flood control channels and roads, according to Shannon Widor of the Orang County Public Works Department. Overnight, voluntary evacuations were in place at the Silverado Canyon and Williams Canyon areas of the Bond Fire burn scar, and those were lifted as of 5 a.m. Monday.

Meanwhile, work both county and city work crews cleared mud and rocks to keep the roadways open.

There were no reports of major injuries or damage due to the storm that unleashed its fury on the region throughout the day Sunday. There were reports of power outages in Laguna Beach and other Orange County towns, much of which was resolved by Monday.

Record rains hit SoCal due to the storm, with 11.74 inches recorded atop Mount San Jacinto in Riverside County, according to the National Weather Service.

In Orange County, cities recorded anywhere from 3.07 to 1.5 inches of rain. Coto de Caza saw the largest rainfall due to the storm during the 24-hour period from 8 a.m. Sunday to Monday morning with 3.07 inches. Garden Grove and the Seal Beach area saw 2.92 inches of rain. Laguna Niguel saw roughly 2.20 inches from the storm, while Laguna Beach received nearly 2.10 inches of rain. Costa Mesa measured 2 inches of rain during the tropical storm, while Corona Del Mar and the Newport Beach area measured 1.57 inches as the rain moved north.

"Bands of moderate to heavy rain will continue to move through Los Angeles and Ventura Counties into tonight," according to the National Weather Service. "Isolated thunderstorms are also possible. Lighter showers are expected in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. Significant flooding threats exist, especially over Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Rain will decrease with clearing skies during the day on Monday."

Most rainfall records were shattered on Sunday thanks to the almost daylong downpours. The highest rainfall total recorded over a two-day period ending at 7 a.m. Monday was at Mount Wilson, where the NWS reported 8.56 inches of rain. Lewis Ranch saw 7.04 inches, while nearly seven inches fell in Crystal Lake and 6.5 inches came down at Santa Anita Dam. Saugus also saw nearly 6.5 inches of rain.

Most other areas saw between 2 and 4 inches, with Beverly Hills receiving nearly 5 inches. About 3.5 inches fell in Santa Monica, and roughly 3 inches in downtown Los Angeles. Nearly 6 inches fell in East Pasadena, while Pasadena itself saw 2.4 inches.

According to the Weather Service, the 2.48 inches that fell in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday alone made it the wettest August day ever downtown, breaking the record of 2.06 inches set on Aug. 17, 1977.

"Hilary made Sunday a record-breaking day for rainfall with almost -- if not all -- stations receiving record amounts of rainfall," according to the NWS.

Many Southland areas were also battered with strong winds overnight. A gust of 87 mph was recorded around 3 a.m. at the Magic Mountain Truck Trail, while the Newhall Pass saw gusts of about 50 mph. The Santa Clarita and San Gabriel valleys saw gusts in the 40 to 50 mph range overnight, according to the NWS.

The storm known as Hilary resulted in the first tropical storm warning ever issued for Southern California. Before Sunday, a tropical storm had not made landfall in California since 1939. With the storm dissipating, the NWS announced Monday that the tropical storm warnings had been lifted.

Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a State of Emergency for the area, and Bass did likewise and activated the city's Emergency Operations Center at Level 2 -- one level short of the most critical status.

Hilary weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm off the coast of Baja California early Sunday, but it still brought heavy rain, strong winds and fears of dangerous flooding to some areas, particularly the mountains and the Antelope Valley.

The storm made landfall near San Diego Sunday afternoon, prompting the National Weather Service to warn of "potentially historic amounts of rainfall" that was "expected to cause life-threatening to locally catastrophic flash, urban and arroyo flooding including landslides, mudslides, and debris flows through early Monday morning."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it was coordinating with California officials to provide support as needed. FEMA pre-positioned supplies at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, and a FEMA Incident Management Assistance Team deployed to the California Office of Emergency Services and is prepared to assist with any requests for federal assistance. Additional teams were on standby for deployment if necessary, officials said.

California's National Guard contingent has also "strategically pre-positioned resources throughout Southern California" as part of the statewide effort to prepare for the storm, officials said Saturday.

Cal OES, through the California Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System, deployed a total of more than 700 local government firefighters and support staff, as well as 15 Swift Water Rescue teams, two Urban Search and Rescue companies and three Regional Urban Search and Rescue task forces.

Orange County also closed all recreational facilities, trails, campgrounds, beaches and libraries. The county activated and staffed its Emergency Operations Center at 8 a.m. Sunday. Officials said "all resources and support personnel have been identified and are on standby ready to mobilize when needed."

Officials at Orange County's John Wayne Airport advised travelers to check with their airlines for possible flight delays or cancellations after 20% of departures and 21% of arrivals were canceled Sunday.

Adding to the mix, a strong earthquake centered in Ventura County shook most of Southern California on Sunday.

The magnitude-5.1 temblor struck at 2:41 p.m., about 4 miles southeast of Ojai, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was quickly followed by a series of aftershocks, the largest of them measuring a magnitude of 3.6.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

As a reminder, all Orange County residents should sign up for AlertOC at http://AlertOC.org for future incidents.