Ventura County

Southern California Recovers After Mud, Debris Flow Following Spring Storm

Mud and debris covered parts of Ventura County Friday morning after a powerful spring storm slammed Southern California for three days.

The storm swelled rivers, flooded streets and triggered water rescues statewide over three days but spared communities a repeat of the deadly debris flows that occurred during a January deluge. Several roads were affected by the storm's debris, including Highway 1, where all lanes across Mondos Beach are blanketed with mud, according to California Highway Patrol.

CHP responded to a mudflow at around 11 p.m. Thursday at Highway 1 in the Faria Beach area. Caltrans crews have been working overnight to clear the Thomas Fire burn scar area from mud.

The threat of mud slides and debris flows down slopes that wildfires have stripped of vegetation vanished early Friday the storm began clearing out of the Southland. A flash flood watch issued for several areas of L.A. County, with emphasis on so-called burn areas, was cancelled early Friday morning as rainfall rates declined to less than one-tenth of an inch per hour -- too weak to trigger mud slides and debris flows -- and the storm's last bands of rain were moving south and east on their way out.

No mud slide or debris flow occurred in burn areas of Los Angeles County as a result of the storm, although a large chunk of hillside just below La Tuna Canyon Road in the Sun Valley area gave way overnight Thursday amid an intense downpour. No homes are in the area, which was already under evacuation orders, so no structures were damaged and no injuries were reported.

The storm may generate a few showers Friday morning.

It produced differing amounts of rain in Los Angeles County since the rain began Tuesday afternoon.

  • 3.90 inches in Newhall
  • More than 2 inches near Malibu
  • Between 1.5 and 4 inches in LA County valleys
  • 1.5 to 2 inches in coastal areas
  • 1.15 inches in downtown LA
  • 6.5 inches in the San Gabriel Mountains in Ventura County

Mostly cloudy skies were forecast in LA County, along with highs of 51 on Mount Wilson; 57 in Avalon; 63 in Saugus, Palmdale, Lancaster and at LAX; 64 in Pasadena, Burbank and Woodland Hills; and 65 in Downtown L.A., Long Beach and San Gabriel. Temperatures will decline slightly Saturday under mostly cloudy skies and remain in the low to mid 60s through Monday before climbing into the low 70s starting Tuesday.

Partly cloudy skies were forecast in Orange County, along with highs of 61 in San Clemente; 63 in Newport Beach; 64 in Laguna Beach; 67 in Mission Viejo; and 68 in Yorba Linda, Fullerton, Anaheim and Irvine. Temperatures will decline slightly Saturday but climb by several degrees starting Tuesday, with highs reaching the low 70s in several communities.

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