Three El Niño storms in a row hit Southern California so far this week. Another storm is expected Saturday.
Officials will study both the behavior of the storms and how officials responded to them. The assessments are important because forecasters are predicting a winter of heavy, potentially destructive rain because of the El Niño weather pattern. Concern remains high that such frequent storms over time can erode hillsides and cause more mudslides.
Get the latest weather forecast | Video: How to drive in the rain
Edison worker electrocuted while responding to service call
A Southern California Edison worker died Wednesday evening while responding to a service call in Paramount, authorities said.
A spokeswoman for the company confirmed that the employee worked as a troubleman. Such workers are deployed as first responders to outages and other incidents.
Neighbors told KCBS-TV Channel 2 that the man had arrived after a power outage in the area and that he climbed the pole himself before apparently slipping.
Look out for high surf
Debris and mud force evacuations in Santa Clarita
Debris and mudflow late in the afternoon in Santa Clarita, where the Calgrove Fire had burned through more than 400 acres, prompted Los Angeles County fire officials to evacuate residents of 10 mobile homes.
The American Red Cross set up a shelter at City of Santa Clarita Newhall Community Center at 22421 Market St., said Ken Kondo, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management.
5 Freeway closed in Sun Valley
All lanes of the 5 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley community of Sun Valley are closed between Sheldon Street and Lankershim Boulevard because of severe flooding, Caltrans said Wednesday afternoon.
It is unknown when the lanes will be reopened.
The California Highway Patrol has issued a SigAlert for the area.
Rainy cats and dogs
Humans aren’t the only animals upset about the weather in Los Angeles today. Here, a selection of sad pets in raincoats.
Some were lucky enough to stay dry.
Garbage and debris make El Niño flooding worse
El Niño hit Southern California on Tuesday morning and is already causing minor flooding on some roads and sidewalks.
Flooding prompted officials to close roads in the Sepulveda Dam area, and motorists reported some roadway flooding on the 101 Freeway between Ventura and Santa Barbara.
The storm is expected to dump 2 to 3 inches of rain through Friday across the L.A. Basin. While that’s not historic, it’s enough to cause flooding.
Heavy rain, of course, is a major factor. But trash is another. Garbage and debris clog storm drains.
And litter is a big problem in L.A.