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| The most severe Christmas storm since at least 1971 looms in the Los Angeles area as atmospheric rivers continue to batter the West Coast. |
The heavily populated, sprawling area around Los Angeles, the coast north and south, and the mountains to the east all face torrents of rain and strong, damaging winds.
In their forecast discussion this morning, the National Weather Service wrote in all caps, that I'll avoid, "This is a very dangerous holiday storm. Anyone traveling on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day will need to exercise extreme caution. Make sure to take the proper action before the storm hits."
The rain is starting today, then turn more intense tonight, and peak tomorrow morning. Rainfall rates during the peak hours of the storm in and near Los Angeles will be somewhere around an inch per hour.
Total rainfall between now and Christmas in southern California is forecast to be in the four to seven inch range, with locally higher amounts.
NOAA's Weather Prediction Center has put parts of the L.A area under a rare high risk zone for a "significant threat of flash flooding, landslides, rock falls and mud slides. The greater than normal travel during the Christmas holiday will likely expose a potentially larger number of people to these life-threatening hazards."
On Tuesday, as light rain began making inroads in Los Angeles County, residents were stacking sandbags and other barriers in Pacific Palisades, Altadena, Malibu and other areas where there were big fire last year. They're hoping debris flows won't outmatch these efforts. Crews were also installing Jersey barriers in hopes of diverting landslides away from vulnerable homes.
Some debris-prone roads, like Topanga Canyon Boulevard, were closed even before the first drops of rain fell.
Thousands of people have been told to pack "to go" bags and be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice.
High winds will complicate this whole mess. In the L.A basin, winds could reach up to 55 mph, and in the foothills and mountains nearby, those winds could reach as high as 80 mph.
As the soils get soggier and soggier, it'll be easier and easier for the wind to blow trees over.
The intensity of the storms should wane somewhat by Christmas Day, but scattered downpours will continue to vex the L.A basin.
Further north in California, atmospheric river storms that caused serious flooding in the Sierra Nevada foothills have diminished somewhat. But more rain, sometimes heavy and mixed with thunderstorms, will continue the flood risk. There's even a low risk of brief spin-up tornadoes with the thunderstorms.
High winds warnings remain in effect until the afternoon of Christmas Day for a wide area of central and northern California.
Meanwhile, in the Sierra Nevada, several more feet of snow are expected in the next few days.
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