After another round of heavy rains soaked parts of California, Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency late Monday for several counties dealing with an estimated tens of million dollars in damage from flooding, erosion, and mud flows.
The governor’s order cited the destruction to roads and highways from the so-called atmospheric river that has pummeled Southern California, the Central Coast, the San Joaquin Valley and the Bay Area since early January. A second emergency declaration was also issued for a spate of Northern California counties battered by rainstorms.
The emergency order clears the way for requesting federal emergency assistance funds for highway repairs and reconstruction.
The rains that deluged Southern California over the weekend continued Monday, with showers punctuated by bursts of sunshine. Hail was reported in Burbank and snow was anticipated in the Antelope Valley.
The storm, which forecasters said was the strongest in several years, set new rainfall records on Sunday and caused widespread flooding after several hours of sustained, pouring rain. Monday’s rain was not as intense as it was over the weekend.
“Today’s going to be more of a variable day, nothing like yesterday where we had moderate to heavy rain for most of the day,” said Bonnie Bartling, a weather specialist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “We’ll see some sun, then some showers. Nothing too organized.”
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A car is stuck in standing water on the southbound 110 Freeway on Jan. 22. (Christina House / For The Times)
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A surfer barely clears a giant wave in Manhattan Beach.
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People enjoy the snow in Acton.
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Elizabeth Wolterbeek plays among rocks in the 200 block of Mel Canyon Road in Duarte on Friday after a mudslide.
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A girl loses control of her umbrella after being rescued by a Huntington Beach police officer and a tow truck operator. Her family became trapped in their disabled car in the middle of flooded Heil Ave. amid a heavy downpour in Huntington Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 6/43
Commuters navigate a rain-soaked 10 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday morning, as the first of three storms rolls through Southern California. More storms are expected over the weekend.
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Palmdale residents Cesar Navarro, left, and his son Cesar Navarro Jr. sled down a snowy hill in Acton.
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A fast moving discharge of water spews from the San Gabriel Dam, as a storm front moves through the area.
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A bicyclist comes to the end of a trail that’s covered in wet sand at Dockweiler State Beach in Playa del Rey.
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Snow covers boat slips and a lone picnic at Lake Arrowhead on Monday as the latest strom moves through.
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Debris, including drinking cups, rubber balls and bottles, washes ashore along the Alamitos Peninsula near East Ocean Boulevard and 56th Place in Long Beach on Monday.
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Dale Ball of La Cañada Flintridge has rain gear for herself and her dogs while walking toward the entrance to Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena on Jan. 23.
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A car drives through a snowy scene on Shannon Valley Road in Acton.
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A city worker uses a snowblower to clear the walkways during a snowstorm at Lake Arrowhead Village.
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With the road closed to traffic, Paul Doolin rides a skateboard past a fallen boulder that rests on Topanga Canyon Blvd.
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A city worker shovels the walkways during a snowstorm at Lake Arrowhead Village in the San Bernardino mountains.
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Jose Villa of Lake Arrowhead clears fresh snow off his windshield during a blizzard in Rimforest, Calif.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 18/43
Snow begins to fall and stick to the road in Crestline, Calif.
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Enrique Nicanor carries plywood on an improvised walkway he made over a flowing creek that damaged the driveway to the house where he works on Iron Canyon Road.
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Clearing storm clouds are reflected in the wet sand at low tide in Newport Beach on Monday.
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County of Los Angeles pubic works equipment clears the flooded creek on Iron Canyon Road.
(Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 22/43
Niklas Hofverberg and his daughter Bianca Hofverberg, 3 1/2 years old, watch the sun set as storms clouds dissipate in Venice on Monday.
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John Fisher of Altadena looks out toward Devils Gate Reservoir in Pasadena on Jan. 23.
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Westminster resident Shirley Hansen carries her dog Scruffy while she walks through floodwater caused by recent rain on the boardwalk in Seal Beach.
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A glimpse of blue sky is seen during a break in the rain at Devil’s Gate Reservoir in Pasadena on Jan. 23.
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Gina Picciolo takes a picture of a boulder that fell onto Topanga Canyon Blvd. Picciolo is a longtime resident in the area.
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Ward Preston and Gina Picciolo walk past a mudslide along Topanga Canyon Blvd.
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A Huntington Beach police officer watches a tow truck operator hook up chains to rescue a family from the middle of flooded Heil Avenue after their car stalled in the deep water amid a heavy downpour in Huntington Beach on Jan. 22.
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A rainbow appears over Seal Beach, Calif. on Monday. The tail end of a punishing winter storm system lashed California with thunderstorms and severe winds Monday after breaking rainfall records, washing out roads and whipping up enormous waves.
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All lanes of the 110 Freeway from Carson Street to 223rd Street were closed Sunday because of flooding. (Christina House / For The Times)
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Jerry Katz stands next to a mudflow at the corner of Mel Canyon and Brookridge roads in Duarte.
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A Huntington Beach police officer watches a bus drive through flooded Heil Avenue amid a heavy downpour in Huntington Beach.
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A man looks for a safe way to cross floodwaters flowing from hillsides in a nearby recent burn area on North Iron Canyon Road in Santa Clarita.
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A Huntington Beach police officer diverts a pickup driver while a tow truck operator hooks up chains to rescue a family from the middle of flooded Heil Ave.
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Mud and rocks have filled the driveway of a Duarte home along Mel Canyon Road, where residents have been evacuated due to mudslides.
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Rudy Fuentes stands on the porch of his home on Mel Canyon Road in Duarte, looking out at where mud has taken over his driveway.
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Police stop traffic on Mountain Crest Road where residents have been evacuated due to incoming storms in the Fish fire impact area in Duarte.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 38/43
Marcus Jenkins selling umbrellas as he shelters under one of his own on Hollywood Blvd in Hollywood as the second of three winter storms begin to drench the Southland Friday.
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Motorists navigate the flooded lanes of northbound Fairview Street in Santa Ana.
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Ella Masa, all wrapped in plastic, pushes her two service dogs as she joins an East LA/Boyle Heights group with banners and posters marching from Mariachi Plaza on Friday, protesting President Trump’s inauguration.
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Umbrellas are necessary on Hollywood Boulevard as the second of three winter storms begins to batter Southern California on Friday morning.
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A pedestrian scurries across the street under her umbrella in downtown Los Angeles on Friday morning.
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Paulina Tu takes cover under her umbrella as she waits for a ride in downtown Los Angeles on Friday morning.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) The storm system was winding down Monday night, forecasters said, with isolated showers expected on Tuesday. A dry period was forecast to begin Wednesday, with temperatures gradually warming into the 60s by the weekend.
In Malibu, Topanga Canyon Boulevard was closed in both directions early Monday from Pacific Coast Highway to Grand View Drive because of rock slides, according to the California Highway Patrol. There was no estimated time for the reopening of the boulevard.
Malibu Canyon Road also remained closed near Piuma Road on Monday because of rock slides, according to the CHP.
Flooding on Sunday had caused the closure of portions of the the 110 Freeway in Carson and the 710 Freeway in Long Beach, but all lanes of both roadways were opened by Monday morning, according to the CHP.
The storms have caused trees and branches to fall on power lines, which was a major cause of power outages, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. On Monday afternoon, there were about 9,000 customers without power because of storm-related issues, the utility said on Twitter.
Farther north, the Sierra Avalanche Center on Monday issued an avalanche advisory for all elevations surrounding Lake Tahoe, which was set to last through at least Tuesday morning.
The Duarte Unified School District announced Monday that Valley View Elementary School would be closed for the day due to the threat of mudslides.
Over the weekend, evacuation orders were issued for communities hit by wildfires last year, including Glendora, Duarte, Silverado Canyon in Orange County and parts of Santa Barbara County. As of Sunday night, most of the hillsides had held up, to the relief of anxious homeowners.
Long Beach Airport set a new all-time rainfall record at 3.97 inches, beating out the previous all-time daily record of 3.75 inches in January 1995, according to the National Weather Service.
Sunday’s rainfall also broke at least two daily precipitation records. Los Angeles International Airport received 2.94 inches of rain Sunday, surpassing the previous record of 1.94 inches set on Jan. 22, 1983. Camarillo, which got 2.79 inches of rain Sunday, beat the previous daily record of 1.06 inches of rain set on Jan. 22, 1997.
hailey.branson@latimes.com
Twitter: @haileybranson
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UPDATES:
8:50 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about Gov. Brown declaring a state of emergency.
2:31 p.m.: This article was updated with new information about power outages and an avalanche advisory near Lake Tahoe.
9:20 a.m.: This article was updated with a clarification between daily and all-time rain records.
7:45 a.m.: This article was updated with information about Malibu Canyon Road and freeway closures.
7:20 a.m.: This article was updated with information about power outages and a road closure at Topanga Canyon Boulevard.
This article was originally published at 6:25 a.m.
