While the rest of the country is having snowball fights and making snowmen, Los Angeles County has brought out its umbrellas and raincoats from rainstorms over the weekend — that has continued through Monday.
These unusual winter storms have covered Southern California with significant rainfall, with some areas seeing as much as 1-3 inches. As usual, the rain started up north and worked its way down to Los Angeles late Friday. Flooding over local roads and freeways has been reported — including lanes being shut down on the 405 Freeway.
According to the National Weather Service, this weather is expected to last until Tuesday, with some areas in SoCal seeing possible Thunderstorms. They also warn a potential for, “…minor rock or mudslides in steep terrain and minor urban flooding.”
💧Flood safety tips from Ready LA County
- Avoid moving water. Do not drive or walk through moving water.
- Avoid risky areas. Stay away from streams, rivers, flood control channels, and other areas subject to sudden flooding.
- Stay informed. Listen to the radio or watch television for information and instructions from your local officials.
- Obey evacuation instructions. If you are told to evacuate, do so immediately.
- Get the full list of flood safety tips here!
🌧️ How to prepare for rainstorms according to the L.A. Emergency Management Department:
- Register with NotifyLA to receive emergency alerts for your area. You can also follow @NotifyLA on Twitter for alerts.
- Look around your home for hazards such as overgrown trees or full gutters that might create problems during rainstorms.
- Secure loose items in your yard that might block storm drains and cause flooding on your street, including toys, tools, and yard décor. Call 3-1-1 or use the My311 mobile app to notify the City of debris that needs to be cleared.
- Prepare your vehicle for wet weather by checking that tires, brakes, and windshield wipers are in proper working condition. Keep an emergency kit in your car too!
- Consider installing rain-capture devices such as cisterns or rain barrels.
- Listen to forecasts and advisories from local officials. In addition to local TV and radio news, the latest weather forecasts are always available from the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles area office.
- Move trash cans off the street.
- Know your flood risk. Get flood insurance now to make sure you’re covered before the storm.
- Most importantly, you should always have an emergency kit and plan!
Of course, weather can change quickly, so stay updated here with the latest weather forecasts and plan your weekend accordingly. To keep up to date on local weather advisories, please visit The National Weather Service directly here.