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A powerful storm system swept into Southern California on Thursday, drenching the region with cold rain while flooding some roads, felling trees and prompting evacuation warnings in parts of Orange County and the Inland Empire scarred by recent wildfires and vulnerable to mudslides.
Forecasters said the storm, which rolled in from the north Thursday morning, would grow in intensity into the evening hours and hover over the region into Friday morning. Coastal and valley areas might see anywhere from 1 to 3 inches of rain, with up to 6 inches in foothill and mountain areas, meteorologists said. Thunderstorms were possible through late Thursday.
There wasn’t yet any new snow in the mountains on Thursday afternoon, but another storm was expected to roll in again on Saturday, bringing more rain and snow to mountain areas at levels as low as 3,000 feet.
“It’s raining and it’s going to keep on raining,” said John Dumas, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
There was already some flooding and debris reported on Pacific Coast Highway in Los Angeles County on Thursday afternoon, in addition to some minor street flooding near San Bernardino, meteorologists said. Expected heavier rainfall on Thursday night through early Friday morning increased the risk for flooding in low-lying streets and highways, as well as mudslides and falling rocks on forest roads.
“It’s really bad timing with the busiest travel weekend,” Dumas said. “It’s going to be dark, slippery and crowded, which aren’t good travel conditions.”
Shoppers at the Ontario Mills did not allow a winter rain storm to deter them from making their holiday purchases Thursday Dec. 23, 2021. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Heavy rain didn’t stop people waiting in line for cover testing, as winter storms pass over southern California for the next few days Thursday, Van Nuys, Dec 23-,2021. (Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)
A shopper at Tierra Vista in Rancho Cucamonga rushes to her vehicle as a winter rain storm moved through the area Thursday Dec. 23, 2021. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Shoppers at the Ontario Mills did not allow a storm to deter them from making their holiday purchases Thursday Dec. 23, 2021. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Shoppers at the Ontario Mills did not allow a storm to deter them from making their holiday purchases Thursday Dec. 23, 2021. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A couple walk through the rain as they shop at the Ontario Mills Thursday Dec. 23, 2021. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A shopper at the Ontario Mills uses his holiday purchases to cover his head from the rain Thursday Dec. 23, 2021. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Person on a scooter uses a plastic sheet to keep dry, as winter storms pass over southern California for the next few days Thursday, Los Angeles, Dec 23-,2021. (Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)
Heavy rain comes down as winter storms pass over southern California for the next few days Thursday, Van Nuys, Dec 23-,2021. (Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)
Firefighters clear a downed tree which briefly blocked Parkridge Road near Three Bar Lane in Norco Thursday Dec. 23, 2021 as a winter rain storm moved through the area. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Flash flood warnings were issued in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
A mandatory evacuation order was issued for 8 p.m. Thursday for people living in the area scorched by the Bond fire in Orange County. Voluntary evacuation orders were also in effect for those near where the El Dorado and South fires burned in San Bernardino County.
Residents were told they should be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice in case waves of mud and debris threaten to bury their homes.
More than 10,000 sandbags were being distributed to residents in the canyons by Orange County Public Works. In that county, evacuation warnings were issued for residents of:
In San Bernardino County, evacuation warnings were issued for residents of:
Officials in Riverside County issued a “wireless emergency alert” to people living along the Santa Ana River bottom, advising them to seek higher ground as water fills the flood channel.
In Winnetka, a man was rescued by firefighters from an abutment near a bridge at the Los Angeles River, which had water flowing swiftly below.
In Norco, a tree fell across power or cable lines on Parkridge Avenue. In Riverside, at Iowa Avenue and Citrus Street, all lanes were blocked when a transformer blew up and a power pole fell.
On Friday, high temperatures for the region are forecasted as 60 degrees in Los Angeles, 61 degrees in Santa Ana, 57 degrees in San Bernardino and 55 degrees in Hemet. The forecasted lows for Friday night were mostly in the 40s and low 50s.
In addition to the Saturday storm which was projected to end Sunday, two additional storms were expected to roll in next week, said Matt Moreland, another National Weather Service meteorologist.
“We’re going to have rain chances almost every day for the next five to seven days,” he said.
Staff writer Brian Rokos contributed to this report.
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