Record-Breaking Rain And Cold Hit SoCal — With More On The Way

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Easter weekend storm was one for the books: Several Southern California cities saw record-breaking rain and cold temperatures over the holiday weekend.

And as the last remnants of the storm exit the region Monday morning, forecasters say sunny skies and warming temperatures will, once again, give way to another round of cool weather and rain later this week.

Daily rainfall records were broken Saturday from Los Angeles to San Diego while record lows were recorded across Orange and Riverside counties Sunday

Downtown Los Angeles set a record with 1.73 inches, breaking the record of 1.27 inches set in 1946, according to the National Weather Service. Long Beach Airport set a record with 1.86 inches, breaking the record of 0.24 inches set in 1978.

In San Diego County, San Diego, Vista, Chula Vista, Ramona and Alpine all broke daily rainfall records Saturday. That includes the 1.26 inches of rain measured at San Diego International Airport Saturday — for comparison, the monthly average for the entire month of March is 1.46 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Downtown Los Angeles is already having its second-wettest back-to-back water years since record-keeping began in 1877, according to the National Weather Service.

Since Oct. 1, 2022, 52.46 inches of rain has fallen in downtown LA — and there's still six months to go in the water year, which runs until Sept. 30. The record for the two wettest consecutive water years was set in 1888-1890, when 54.10 inches fell.

Easter Sunday brought record-setting cold to Orange and Riverside counties. It was 59 in Anaheim, breaking the record for the lowest maximum temperature for the day of 62, set in 2006. It was as similar case in Santa Ana.

It was 54 in Riverside, breaking the record for lowest maximum temperature for the day of 58, set in 1967.

It was 49 in Lake Elsinore, breaking the record for lowest maximum temperature for the day of 50, set in 1917.

It was 63 in Palm Springs, breaking the record for lowest maximum temperature for the day of 65, set in 1949.

The storm wreaked havoc across the region Saturday and Sunday as flooding impacted major infrastructure.

Heavy rain prompted the closure of the Sepulveda Basin around midday Saturday, which spanned Burbank Boulevard between Balboa Boulevard and the 405 Freeway, and on Woodley Avenue from Victory to Burbank Boulevard.

In Long Beach, a 20-foot Eucalyptus tree uprooted and fell on a house early Sunday, ABC7 reported. The roof was heavily damaged, but no injuries were reported.

In Fullerton, a black Nissan Altima was found 90 percent submerged in a ditch off the Orange (57) Freeway and Chapman Avenue at 10:06 a.m. Saturday.

The person who reported the incident said the sedan spun out and went off the right shoulder into a ditch. There was no one inside the car when first responders arrived.

Heavy rain in Riverside County Saturday prompted multiple street closures in Menifee, while in Palm Springs, North Indian Canyon Drive was closed due to flooding.

More Rain On The Way

Temperatures are expected to remain well below normal Monday, with highs in the 60s across much of the region. Temperatures will increase Tuesday and Wednesday, getting up to the mid-70s in Riverside County and in some parts of LA, Orange and San Diego counties.

A new storm system is expected to bring more cool and breezy weather to the region in the later half of the week, with a slight chance of precipitation by Thursday, with the highest chance of rain on Friday, according to the NWS.

In Riverside, Orange and San Diego counties, rain is expected to end Saturday morning, the NWS said.

"There's also the potential for thunderstorms but it's a little early to have much confidence in occurrence. Most of Saturday and Sunday will see a dry period before another weaker low pressure system moves in for late Sunday into Monday," the NWS said.

City News Service contributed to this report.