Seal Beach Drenched: How Many Inches Of Rain Fell?

SEAL BEACH, CA — The biggest storm to hit Southern California this year drenched Seal Beach and Orange County this week, causing floods, mudslides and crashes.

Over the last three days, Seal Beach got a total of 1.69 inches of rain and Los Alamitos saw 2.1 inches according to Orange County Public Works. So far this season, Seal Beach has gotten a total of about 2.45 inches of precipitation since July according to Public Works.

Most of OC’s coastline saw between 1 and 5 inches of rain during the storm this week. John Wayne Airport saw 1.24 inches of rain while the Santa Ana Mountains saw between 2 to 8 inches.

Coto de Caza logged the most amount of rain of the Orange County coastal areas, recording 5.24 inches of rain, according to NWS. The airport fire burn scar area saw nearly 3 inches of rain.

The recent storm brought a variety of dramatic weather conditions throughout the county, including including evacuations in Orange County canyon communities due to possibilities of heavy debris flow.

Following the downpour, Orange County beaches were put under a health advisory as high levels of bacteria are expected for at least 72 hours after significant rainfall.

“Bacteria levels can increase significantly during and after rainstorms, as contaminants within the runoff enters the ocean,” according to the Orange County Department of Public Health. “Elevated bacteria levels in ocean water may cause illness, especially in children and the elderly.”