A strong Pacific storm doused Southern California this week, flooding roadways across the Southland and some freeways.The main front of the “bomb cyclone” moved into the area on the night of Jan. 4. Forecasters said the storm moved across the region much faster than anticipated, which “greatly reduced the amount of rainfall through the area,” according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Nonetheless, some parts of Los Angeles County, including Beverly Hills, experienced downpours, with  some regions also reporting hail. Scattered power outages also took place in the city. 

On Jan. 5, a felled tree shut down eastbound Sunset Boulevard between Beverly and Roxbury Drives in Beverly Hills for a few hours. 

In social media posts this week, the Los Angeles Police Department urged motorists to exercise extreme caution, due to extensive surface street flooding. 

A rockslide forced the closure of westbound lanes of Pacific Coast Highway at Big Rock Drive in the Malibu area. Decker Canyon Road was also closed temporarily between PCH and Decker School Road due to a rockslide, according to the city of Malibu and Caltrans. Flooding was also reported on PCH near Temescal Canyon Road, while power lines and trees were reported down in the 700 block of Old Topanga Canyon Road in the hills south of Calabasas. 

As the Courier was going to press on Jan. 5, officials from the Los Angeles Department of Transportation closed Mulholland Drive between Bowmont Drive and Summit Circle in order to allow crews to repair storm damage. 

Along the coasts, a high surf advisory will remain in effect until mid morning Jan. 6, with forecasters warning of dangerous rip currents and surf building as high as 12 feet at some beaches.

In what is potentially good news for ski afficionados, local mountains are expected to see snowfall as low as 5,500 feet. A total of 1 to 2 feet are expected at higher elevations, with 3 to 6 inches anticipated above 6,000 feet. Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency across California this week to expedite anticipated damage repair. 

With City News Service