Alaskan Storm To Bring Heavy Rain To Los Angeles Area

LOS ANGELES, CA — A low-pressure system out of the Gulf of Alaska will slide into the Southland Wednesday evening, raising fears of mudslides, minor debris flows and flooding over areas of L.A., Orange, Ventura and Riverside counties that wildfires have recently stripped of vegetation.

The storm will move across California's Central Coast, then slowly slip into Ventura and L.A. counties by Wednesday night through Thursday morning, according to a National Weather Service statement. Cool temperatures will prevail during this time and through the weekend.

Ahead of the storm, residents were urged to make preparations in Malibu, much of which was devastated by the Woolsey Fire this month, and to voluntarily evacuate from areas stricken by the Holy Fire in Orange County and Riverside counties.

"All Malibu residents are urged to prepare for potential flooding, mudslides, power outages and evacuations," the city said in a statement Tuesday. But these preparations must not involve removing debris, which contains hazardous materials. No debris removal from burned properties is allowed until inspections by state and county health officials have been completed.

In Orange County, the sheriff's department issued a voluntary evacuation order for homes within Trabuco Canyon, Rose Canyon and the Mystic Oaks and El Cariso areas. In Riverside County, the Emergency Management Department recommended evacuations from Lake Elsinore along Alberhill Ranch Road and Amorose Street, as well as residents on Glen Eden Road south of Corona, the Glen Ivy Hot Springs community, the Horsethief Canyon community and the area around McVicker Park in Lake Elsinore.

Most areas should see from a half-inch to two inches of rain, although three inches could fall at higher elevations, including foothills. The snow level, meanwhile, will remain at or above 8,000 feet.

The rain could start falling in Los Angeles County Wednesday evening, then increase overnight, strengthened by moisture from the Eastern Pacific, making the Thursday morning commute challenging, said NWS meteorologist Curt Kaplan. By Thursday afternoon, showers are expected.

Forecasters say the rain will fall on the sites of the Woolsey Fire in L.A. and Ventura County, the Hill Fire in Ventura County and the Thomas Fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties in December 2017.

But Kaplan said rainfall rates are not expected to reach a half-inch per hour, which is what would trigger major debris flows in the Woolsey and Hill burn areas. The Thomas Fire burn area, now in its second year without vegetation, is somewhat more vulnerable, forecasters said.

The NWS forecast partly cloudy skies Wednesday and highs of 55 degrees on Mount Wilson; 63 in Avalon; 65 in Saugus; 66 in Palmdale, Lancaster, Burbank and Woodland Hills; 67 in Pasadena; and 68 in Downtown L.A., Long Beach, San Gabriel and at LAX. Slightly lower highs -- up to six degrees lower -- are expected amid rain Thursday.

Partly cloudy skies were also forecast in Orange County, along with highs of 55 on Santiago Peak; 58 on Ortega Highway at the 2,600-foot level; 65 in Laguna Beach and San Clemente; 66 in Trabuco Canyon, Newport Beach and Yorba Linda; 67 in Anaheim; and 68 in Fullerton, Irvine and Mission Viejo. Thursday's highs will be a few degrees lower amid showers.

City News Service; Photo by Jennifer Cook