A slow-moving rain storm system brought reprieve to Southern California Monday morning after a long dry spell, but also caused some mudslides in areas scarred by this month’s wildfires, forcing road closures. roads and making driving dangerous.
Showers were expected to continue into Monday afternoon, with light rain across the region and intermittent bursts of heavy rain, forecasters said. The rain could reduce fire risks and help vegetative growth for the driest start to a rainy season on record in Los Angeles.
But the precipitation also brought dangers. Snow at Tejon Pass, northwest of Los Angeles, forced the closure of a portion of Interstate 5 Sunday night, the California Department of Transportation said. The highway remained closed as of 6 a.m. Pacific on Monday.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said there had been “debris flow” and “vehicles in the mud” in Woodland Hills overnight. Local media showed images of landslides in Pacific Palisades.
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District said its schools in Malibu would be closed Monday due to hazardous road conditions and challenges accessing the schools. Schools in nearby Santa Monica remained open.
The National Weather Service had warned of a 10 to 20 percent chance of significant landslides in several burn scars in Los Angeles County, sensitive areas where fires burned through trees and brush.
In burn scars, charred soil could act like slippery pavement when soaked by rain, creating conditions for landslides, said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the service.
“You just don’t get any absorption from the water,” Chenard said. “Everything immediately turns into runoff.”
The heaviest rain was expected during the 24-hour period beginning Sunday at 4 p.m. According to the service.
He Burn scars include areas burned by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles; the Hurst Fire near the Sylmar area of the city; the evening fire near West Hollywood; the Eaton Fire near Pasadena; the Hughes Fire near Castaic Lake; and the Franklin fire near Malibu, among others.
Burn scars outside of Los Angeles County had a 5 to 10 percent chance of experiencing landslides, the weather service said.
Residents were urged to stock up on supplies and protect property with sandbags. A flood watch was in effect in Los Angeles County as of Monday afternoon.
Light Rain arrived in Ventura County, north of Los Angeles, on Saturday night, and picked up across the region on Sunday, the service said.
The Los Angeles region had suffered a brutal drought for months, fueling this month’s devastating wildfires, which burned thousands of acres and displaced more than 100,000 people.
The two largest fires were almost contained by Monday morning, with rain further helping firefighters. The largest fire, the Palisades Fire near Malibu, was 90 percent contained, and the Eaton Fire was 98 percent contained, according to Cal Fire.
Before Saturday, there had been no measurable rain in downtown Los Angeles this year, said John Feerick, a senior meteorologist with Accuweather. He described the rain as welcome news.
“Overall, this is a beneficial rain,” Feerick said. “It should help with the fire situation immensely.”
“Now, with that comes the risk, because there are burn scars,” he added.
Claire Moses Contributed reports.
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