Los Angeles

133-Year-Old Rainfall Record Broken in Downtown LA

A century-old record was broken in downtown LA as other areas got as much as 5 inches of rain.

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Thursday’s storm was the most powerful of the season, and rainfall broke a 133-year-old record Dec. 14, 2021.

After a storm swept across Southern California, bringing wind, cold temperatures and heavy rains, a 133-year-old rainfall record was broken.

NBCLA's Melissa Magee said Thursday's storm brought impressive rainfall totals overall. Anywhere from 1 to 5 inches of rain was recorded across the region.

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A storm cloud hovers over Los Angeles, California on December 13, 2021. – A storm which has already hit Northern California makes its way south and is expected to bring heavy rain and snow to the mountains of Southern California, raising concern of midslides in fire-ravaged areas. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
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Los Angeles, CA, Monday, December 13, 2021 – Pedestrians cross Figueroa St., downtown as a storm front moves into the LA basin. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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This image shows the closed entrance to Canyon Park, near the Monrovia Sawpit, during a big December storm in 2021.
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Emergency personnel stand in the rain in the Monrovia Sawpit Debris Basin on Dec. 14, 2021.
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A police officer leaves his vehicle in Canyon Park, near the Monrovia Sawpit Debris Basin, on Dec. 14, 2021.
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Water rushes through the Monrovia Sawpit Debris Basin during a storm on Dec. 14, 2021.
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A school crossing guard holds a Stop sign for vehicular traffic as pedestrians cross a road in the rain on December 14, 2021 in Monterey Park, California. – A powerful Pacific storm system is bringing heavy rain, mountain snow and strong wind to Southern California. The National Weather Service warned that this is the most significant storm of the season. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
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Three cars were swept into the LA River during Tuesday’s December storm. Water rescue crews attempted to save the drivers.
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In South Gate, a car was hit by a tree during a December storm in Southern California.
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The El Toro exit was flooded, leaving cars stranded.
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Lytle Creek, CA – December 14: Vehicles drive through mud on Lytle Creek Road as debris from the South fire flows down the hillside covering the road Tuesday morning Dec. 14, 2021. (Photo by Will Lester/MediaNews Group/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin via Getty Images)
GORMAN, CA – DECEMBER 14: Drivers on Interstate 5 drive through blowing snow in Gorman on Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021 as a cold storm brought rain and snow to Southern California. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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LEBEC, CA – DECEMBER 14: Snow covers cars at a parking lot in Lebec, CA on Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021 as a cold storm brought rain and snow to Southern California (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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A large tree branch came down across traffic lanes on Euclid Avenue near Chaffey High in Ontario. One driver escaped injuries.
Hermosa Beach, CA – December 14: High surf hits the Hermosa Beach, CA, Pier, as a winter storm clears from area in southern California, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Hermosa Beach, CA – December 14: High surf hits the Hermosa Beach, CA, Pier, as a winter storm clears from area in southern California, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

In downtown Los Angeles, 2.16 inches had fallen, breaking a record set in 1888 on Dec. 14.

Just .96 inches was the record set for Dec. 14 back in 1888. That record was shattered early on in the day.

In Mt. Baldy Village, 5.10 inches of rain fell, followed by 4.58 inches in Woodland Hills and nearly 4 inches in Modjeska Canyon.

While the worst of the storm was over, spotty showers were expected for the remainder of Tuesday night.

Here are a few more records that were broken Tuesday.

  • Palmdale Airport: 0.68" breaks the old record of 0.35 set in 1933. 
  • Santa Barbara Airport: 1.44" breaks the old record of 0.61 set in 2002. 
  • LAX: 1.29” breaks the old record of 0.38 set in 1993. 
  • Lancaster: 0.72" breaks the old record of 0.25" set in 1970.
  • Sandberg: 1.0" breaks the old record of 0.8 set in 1934. 
  • Santa Maria Airport: 1.13" breaks the old record of 0.75 set in 1993. 
  • Hollywood Burbank Airport: 1.81" breaks the old record of 0.29 set in 1965.
Windy and just 28 degrees. Howling winds ushered in rain and then snow in Big Bear. Hetty Chang reports Dec. 14, 2021.
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