SoCal burn areas prepare for what could be the biggest storm so far this year

LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- Local authorities urged residents Tuesday to get prepared for what could be a potentially dangerous storm set to slam the region, potentially triggering flooding, mudslides or debris flows, particularly in the recent wildfire burn zones.

"I want to really urge everyone to take the alerts seriously here," National Weather Service meteorologist Ariel Cohen said during a Tuesday morning news conference with Mayor Karen Bass at Los Angeles City Hall. "... We have a return to some potentially dangerous weather conditions across the area. Most places are not going to experience those dangerous weather conditions, and it's possible we get through this rain event without any significant problems, but the potential is there. And those across the region... are encouraged to be taking the weather alerts seriously."

The NWS has already described the multi-day storm system as likely to be "the biggest precipitation producer so far this season." Cohen said it will be the "most significant storm" of the year, with the NWS already issuing a flash flood watch for the bulk of the Southland that will be in place from Thursday afternoon through late Thursday night.

Clouds are expected to cover most of the region starting Wednesday, with as much as a half-inch of rain possible. But the brunt of the storm will arrive Thursday, with widespread rain likely to impact the area for about 36 hours.

Cohen said the primary concern will be from 2 p.m. Thursday through 2 a.m. Friday.

"That 12-hour window is when we're going to be looking at bursts of heavy rain," he said.

Bass and Cohen both urged residents to be prepared to evacuate if necessary. Bass urged people to sign up for emergency alerts though notifyla.gov. And while the primary concern locally is in the recent burn areas, Bass stressed that the warning "is for all of Los Angeles," so residents across the city and region should be prepared.

The mayor said city crews -- much like county crews -- have been scrambling to prepare for the rain by clearing out catch basins, removing debris from storm drains and installing measures such as concrete barriers and thousands of sandbags, particularly in the Palisades Fire burn area.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works was distributing free sandbags at the La Costa Post Office, 21229 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, for people in the Palisades Fire area. For those in the Eaton Fire area, the county was offering sandbags at Robinson Park, 1081 N. Fair Oaks Ave., and Victory Park, 2575 Paloma St., both in Pasadena.

A full list of locations where sandbags are available is at lacounty.pw/sandbags.

Pacific Coast Highway remains closed to the public between Chautauqua Boulevard in Pacific Palisades and Carbon Beach Terrace in Malibu due to concerns about possible mud slides or debris flows.

Cohen said residents should "have an evacuation plan prepared," noting that "seconds mean the difference between life and death when it comes to those orders and warnings."

While urging people to have evacuation plans and escape routes pre-planned, he reminded residents that there is a chance of some "pretty significant urban flooding" from the storm, which could leave to streets and freeways being flooded.

"Do not ever drive through a flooded roadway," he said.

Forecasters said the storm overall could drop 1.5 to 3 inches across much of the region, with 3 to 6 inches in the coastal foothills and mountains.

Snow levels will be at about 5,000 feet Wednesday, rising to 7,000 feet Thursday then falling back to about 5,000 feet. Higher elevations could see "several feet" of snow.

High temperatures will be in the 50s each day of the storm, which is about 5 to 10 degrees below normal, according to the NWS.

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