Photo Accu Weather
Southern California bracing for an 'off the
charts' storm
It’s the strongest storm to hit Southern
California in many years and is expected to dump torrential rain, with flash
flooding and strong winds.
It's all part of one of the most intense
storms to strike the region since before the state's epic drought began in
2012, which is likely to bring several inches of rain on average to areas from
Santa Barbara southward to San Diego.
A flash flood watch has been issued
for Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties from Friday morning through
Saturday morning. Evacuations have been ordered in some burn areas. High surf
could cause coastal flooding. Powerful winds could result in downed trees and
power lines.
Twice the month average total of rain will
fall in just a couple of hours in most places.
The storm is expected to dump up to 6
inches of rain on Los Angeles County beaches and valleys and 5 to 10 inches on
south-facing foothills and coastal mountain slopes, according to the National
Weather Service. A flash flood watch has
been issued for Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties from Friday
morning through Saturday morning.
Earthwindmap
Much of that rainfall is expected to fall
within a short time Friday afternoon and evening, with rain potentially falling
at a rate of more than an inch an hour, forecasters said.
The storm, which combines an unusually
intense low pressure area with a fire hose of moisture whose hose stretches
back for more than 2,000 miles, way out to near Hawaii, will rage throughout
the day on Friday and into Saturday in one of the most populated and
storm-averse areas of the country.
At its peak, winds are likely to gust
greater than 50 miles per hour in the Los Angeles and San Diego metro areas,
which will cause extensive air travel delays and down trees and power lines.
Some areas could see winds approach or exceed 100 miles per hour, particularly
in the higher elevations of San Diego County.
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