USA – Southern California Storm Brings Floods, Mudslides and Record Rain

by in News, USA

A second storm in a week has caused further flooding and mudslides in California, USA.

Floods in Costa Mesa, California, 06 December 2018. Photo: Costa Mesa Police

Following the storm earlier this week that affected burn scar areas in northern California, a second storm record rain and some snow to southern parts of the state from 06 December, 2018.

According the Associated Press, mudslides shut down parts of the Pacific Coast Highway and also State Route 170. Flooding prompted evacuation orders in wildfire-scarred areas of Trabuco Canyon, Orange County, and Lake Elsinore in Riverside County.

Severe flooding was reported in the city of Costa Mesa, where some streets were closed. Firefighters were called to rescue a man from the flood-swollen Los Angeles River in La Habra, Orange County.

National Weather Service Los Angeles said 0.5 inches of rain fell in 1 hour in Agoura. Downtown Los Angeles recorded its highest amount of rain for the day (06 December), recording 1.9 inches (48mm) of rain, beating the previous high of 1.01 inches (25.65mm) set in 1997. Typical rainfall for the whole of December is around 2.33 inches (59.18mm).

Heavy snow forced the closure of Interstate 5 between Los Angeles and the San Joaquin Valley.

The heavy rain follows a long period of drought for southern parts of California.

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