An ‘abnormal,’ monsoon-like weather pattern hits Southern California
An “unprecedented” storm system blasted across Southern California this morning, bringing with it rain and severe weather from the Bay Area to the Mexican border.
An “unprecedented” storm system blasted across Southern California this morning, bringing with it rain and severe weather from the Bay Area to the Mexican border.
The National Weather Service reported that the storm system moved through Southern California at 1:30 p.m. with rain, flooding and high winds in the mountain regions north of Los Angeles, along the coast and in the San Joaquin Valley.
By 10:30 a.m., the weather service said the storm system had passed, but heavy rains would continue through the afternoon.
The weather service said the storm track followed a path of intense precipitation, which in turn was fed by extremely warm air from the Mediterranean Sea. That air, however, was moving in the wrong direction for most of Southern California this morning, bringing with it the very strong winds and the heavy rain associated with the storm system.
As of 9:30 a.m., the heaviest downpours of the morning were reported along the coast near San Luis Obispo. The heaviest rain, which the weather service called “near record” for the area, was reported on southern San Diego County from 6 a.m.–9 a.m.
Rainfall continued to fall in the mountains through the morning, but the severe weather was not expected to be as dangerous as anticipated. The most dangerous threat was at Highway 395 in the Sierra Nevada. The worst of the dangerous weather was from about 6 a.m.–9 a.m.
The weather service said the rain from the storm system would lead to flooding, which is expected to happen early this afternoon in Southern California. The rainfall from the storm system is expected to diminish by about noon.
The storm’s track also brought with it strong thunderstorms. The strongest was along the coast near Santa Barbara, where a half-inch of rain and gusty winds were reported, according to the weather service. At times, Santa Barbara received almost 12 inches of rain in a single hour.
The weather service said that there was no damage or injuries reported from the storm.
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