Recapping the Destructive Storm Plowing Through California to End the Week

Posted: February 26, 2023 9:49 am

Much of California has been under the gun of a potent storm system over the last few days, delivering impacts not typically seen for some parts of the Golden State. Here is the latest on what this storm has left behind in its wake.

Flash Flooding Necessitates Rescue

The dynamic storm has packed a little bit of everything, ushering in flooding rainfall for the lower elevations and several feet of snow across the higher terrains. Ventura County in the southern part of the state was dealing with flash flooding early Saturday after the region saw over 7 inches of rain. Vehicles were littered across roadways as the water continued to rise.

The Los Angeles Fire Department was called in to rescue four stranded people and five animals in Encino. Two individuals were sent to an area hospital for treatment of hypothermia.

The flooding was a major issue across some portions of Interstate 5 on Saturday. Portions of Interstate 5 were also dealing with icy conditions. In addition to the flooded roadways, air travel came to a stop on Friday at Los Angeles International Airport. The flights eventually resumed early Saturday morning.

The inclement weather also caused a number of power outages across the state. Officials estimate that there were about 100,000 customers left in the dark on Friday and Saturday. The highest number of outages on Saturday were reported in Los Angeles County.

Rain and Snow Amounts

The city of Los Angeles has also been exceptionally wet over the last 48 hours. The rain gauge in the downtown area measured 2.29 inches of rain on Friday. This was enough to become the wettest February day since 2003. The last three months of February combined to only record 0.10 of an inch of rain, speaking to the rarity of this type of weather event during this month.

The low snow levels were also a major headline for the state. Snow was falling at elevations below 1,000 feet on Friday and Saturday. The wet and heavy composition of the snow was enough to bring down hordes of tree branches and power lines.

Up in the northern part of the state, the wineries that dot the landscape of Napa County also saw significant snow out of this weather maker. The good news is that the grapevines are currently in a dormant stage, sparing them any destruction out of this storm. However, many tree limbs came down under the weight of the snow that measured a foot in some places.

The National Weather Service (NWS) offices in both Los Angeles and San Diego made news earlier in the week when they issued a rare blizzard warning for their territories. However, this prediction came to fruition with some areas seeing snowfall that measured up to almost 6 feet of snow over the course of a few days.

For instance, Snow Valley has reported 66 inches of new accumulation since Wednesday. Both Bear Mountain and Soda Springs have seen over 50 inches of snow.

It is no surprise to learn that the heavy snow forced numerous road closures in and around the mountains. Interstate 80 across Donner Pass had to close twice on Friday due to inclement conditions. Meanwhile, a portion of California State Route 17 between Santa Clara and Santa Cruz County was shut down as the result of snow and trees strewn across the roadway.

Strong winds were also a factor in some parts of the state. Mammoth Mountain led the pack on Friday with a gust of 98 mph recorded. San Guillermo also reported a wind gust of over 90 mph while a handful of other locations across the state clocked gusts at over 80 mph.

Did you find this content useful? Feel free to bookmark or to post to your timeline for reference later.

Recent Posts