Los Angeles, California – Evacuation warnings have been issued in vulnerable burn areas across the greater Los Angeles metro area ahead of flooding, debris and mudslides that could spoil New Year’s Eve for millions of California residents.
While much of the United States will ring in the new year in calm conditions, the same cannot be said for California as another holiday season storm is forecast to drench the Golden State.
Nine burn-scarred areas are under evacuation warnings by Los Angeles County, beginning at 11 a.m. PST on December 31, including a large area of Malibu that was burned by the historic Palisades fire a year ago.
Evacuation warnings came a week after flooding in Los Angeles County triggered flash floods and mudslides across parts of California on the wettest Christmas Eve on record at the Los Angeles airport.
Flooding on Christmas Eve devastated a vulnerable area of the Bridge Fire burn scar area in Wrightwood, which is again threatened by mudslides and debris flows, and is under evacuation warnings.
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Other areas under evacuation warnings include the Canyon Fire burn scar area near Halsey Canyon, the Kenneth Fire burn scar area near Calabasas, the Agua Dulce and Lydia burn scar area near Soledad Canyon Road in Acton, the Franklin Fire burn scar area near Malibu Creek State Park, the Pepperdine area near Kaslo Nature Preserve and Pepperdine University. Camp Williams and the Bridge Fire burn scar area near the East Fork San Gabriel River and the Bridge Fire burn scar area near Mount Baldy.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, a round of heavy rain associated with a weak low pressure system originating from the subtropical Pacific is triggering flash flood warnings for much of Southern California through Thursday.
As the system moves north toward Southern California, light to moderate rain is expected through New Year’s Eve, with peak rainfall intensifying on New Year’s Day.
Given the upward trend in rainfall and already saturated ground conditions, there is a two out of four flood risk from Wednesday through Thursday.
This risk includes areas north of Los Angeles through Santa Barbara, areas that have recently experienced historic rainfall in excess of a foot in some locations.
By Friday, the flash flood threat moves further along the California coast to include parts of Northern California, including San Francisco.
What flood watch, warning and emergency really mean
At this time, another widespread 1 to 2 inches of rain is possible in many areas through Friday, with locally 2 to 3 inches or more possible in the Transverse Ranges of California, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
Once this system exits, a larger and potentially more effective storm is expected to move across northern and central California Friday into Saturday. This next system could bring strong winds, heavy rain and another round of mountain snow to the Sierra Nevada.
While the exact timing and coverage remain uncertain, forecasts will be refined in the coming days.
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Almost the entire coastal area of California is now at risk of low-end flash flooding for Friday through Saturday. These include Redding, San Francisco and Santa Barbara.
The Climate Prediction Center continues to highlight above-average precipitation potential for the western U.S. in early January.
Original article source: Evacuation warnings spread across the Los Angeles metro area ahead of the new year
