Southern California Experiences Wettest November on record Amidst Intense Storms
southern California was battered by a series of powerful storms this week, resulting in widespread flooding, road closures, and hazardous conditions, and contributing too the wettest November on record for many areas. The National weather Service reported an remarkable 1.84 inches of rain fell in a single hour between 9:30 and 10:30 p.m. Thursday in one location, wiht a gauge in Garden Grove recording 1.5 inches during the same period.
The intense rainfall lead to significant disruptions across multiple counties. In Huntington Beach, a three-mile stretch of Pacific Coast Highway – between Warner Avenue and seapoint Street, near the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve – was closed due to roadway flooding. Similar flooding impacted sections of Artesia Boulevard in Redondo Beach and a Huntington Beach neighborhood, as reported by KABC-TV channel 7. Residents on Kelton Avenue in Palms were surprised to find their cars immobilized by thigh-high floodwaters in parking garages, according to the same report.
Santa Barbara experienced floodwaters surging above curb level along State and Anacapa streets thursday night, with several cars stalled in the water. overnight in Long Beach, interchange ramps connecting the 710 and 91 freeways were forced to close due to flooding, and police observed vehicles becoming stuck at the intersection of La Cienega Boulevard and Slauson Avenue.
Ventura County faced challenges from debris, with three-foot-long boulders blocking lanes along Highway 150, a key route connecting Ojai to Santa Barbara County. A mudslide blocked one lane on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, and a rockslide was reported on a canyon road north of Sunland. The storms also caused structural damage; a 60-foot pine tree fell onto a home in La Habra Heights, and a tree crashed into a vehicle on Olympic Boulevard in Westlake, though the driver escaped uninjured, as reported by KTLA-TV Channel 5.
Further disruptions occurred before dawn Friday, with flooding and a rockslide impacting Highway 330 north of Highland, leading to the San Bernardino Mountains. In Irvine, all lanes of the southbound Highway 133 offramp to Irvine Boulevard were flooded, with several vehicles potentially stranded, while rainfall in the area was occurring at a rate of approximately half an inch per hour.
Mountain areas were particularly hard hit.A dozen vehicles were trapped in the snow along Highway 18 at Bear Valley Dam in Big Bear Lake, authorities reported.
Following the main storm’s passage midday Friday, forecasters warned of a “semi-wet Santa Ana event” across parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties – a rare occurrence where Santa Ana winds, typically dry and associated with wildfires, would bring rain instead.
Looking ahead,Los Angeles County has a 10% to 20% chance of rain Saturday morning. Orange County, San Diego County, and the Inland Empire may experience continued light to moderate showers, with potential “wrap-around precipitation” from the south and east.
A winter storm warning remains in effect for the San Bernardino County and Riverside County mountains through Saturday morning for elevations above 6,500 feet, including Big Bear. Heavy, wet snow is expected, with anticipated accumulations of 4 to 8 inches between 6,000 and 7,000 feet, 7 to 11 inches between 7,000 and 7,500 feet, and 12 to 16 inches above 7,500 feet. Big Bear Lake itself sits at an elevation of 6,752 feet.
