2023-12-22 11:22:45
Flash flooding threat spreads from Southern California into Arizona Friday
A storm that brought several inches of rain to the Los Angeles area is now pushing inland Friday, spreading rain into San Diego and the inland California deserts before drenching parts of Arizona later in the day.
SAN DIEGO – A strong storm that has brought flooding rains to the Los Angeles area this week now has its eyes on San Diego and the Desert Southwest Friday as the system pushes off to the east.
Flood Watches stretch from coastal San Diego across the Inland Empire and southeastern deserts of California into Phoenix and western Arizona Friday.
Bands of moderate to heavy rain will continue to spread across the area Friday, increasing from west to east as the storm moves inland. Some stronger cells and thunderstorms embedded in the rain bands might bring periods of heavy rain measuring 0.5 to 1.0 inches per hour.
Overall, widespread rainfall totals of 0.75 to 1.50 are expected, including San Diego and Phoenix, with some isolated amounts in the region up to 2.5 inches where stronger thunderstorms roam.
There is a chance some thunderstorms along southern Arizona may turn severe with damaging wind gusts annd large hail.
“It’s one of those scenarios where we might see flash flooding pop up very quickly, and also severe weather,” said FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin. “It’s because you’re going to be so close to that area of low pressure. It is the power and twisting of the winds that’s closest to that area of low pressure. If we do see thunderstorms pulse up to severe levels, it would be for hail and gusty winds.”
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Rainfall totals are heavy enough to cause flooding of rivers, creeks and streams, as well as urban flooding in poor drainage areas.
“Holliday ground and air travel may be affected,” the National Weather Service in Phoenix warned.
NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center has placed much of the region at a Level 2 out of 4 on their flash flood risk scale, noting forecast models indicate around a 50% chance of the region receiving rain totals typically only experienced every couple of years. For those along the southern California-Arizona border, the storm might bring a once-in-a-decade amount of rainfall.
Flash flood risk for Friday, Dec. 22. (FOX Weather)
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Flood Watches remain in effect through Friday evening around the San Diego and coastal Southern California areas, while the alerts stretch deep into Friday night in southeastern California and Arizona.
Meanwhile, rain was stubbornly lingering in the Los Angeles area early Friday morning where storms flooded roads and homes in Ventura County. Rainfall totals across the Los Angeles metro area reached 2-4 inches with Oxnard climbing near 6 inches. Up in the region’s surrounding mountains, rainfall totals exceeded 10 inches in many spots, topped by nearly 16 inches of rain at Rocky Butte in San Luis Obispo County.
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Rain will move out of the Los Angeles area by midday and remaining flood alerts will expire at noon, the National Weather Service said. However, even following the rain subsides, with saturated grounds, the threats for landslides and mudslides will linger through the weekend.
“A lot of times we see landslides and mudslides once the rain stops,” Merwin said. “Even though the rain is going to be stopping (Saturday), you still have a risk of the earth coming loose just because of how much rain that we’ve seen.”
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