4-7 Inches Of Rain, 65 MPH Wind Gusts Predicted for Mountains
Written by 991KBU on February 1, 2019
The rainstorm that will hit Malibu at 5 in the morning tomorrow … will peak at about noon with possible torrential rain and winds around 40 miles an hour on the beaches … 65 miles per hour on the mountaintops.
The National Weather Service says this storm will bring three times as much rain as yesterday’s … enough rain to trigger flooding and landslides in areas OUTSIDE the Woolsey Burn Area.
L A County has issued a Level One mudflow alert for fire areas in Malibu.
They are predicting possible mudflows with the arrival of heavy rain at 5 in the morning on Saturday.
12 hours of heavy rain is expected.
A Level One mudflow alerts means that residents who have been advised they live in mudflow areas should be prepared to evacuate by that time.
The county alert includes certain homes in Malibu West … Malibu Park … and other areas where mud has been on the move.
There is a moderate atmospheric river developing from the subtropics … and Malibu will get heavy rain by midday.
Rain will fall at the rate of a half to one inch per hour.
Projected storm totals are expected to generally range between 4 to 7 inches in the south facing foothills and coastal slopes.
That is enough to cause flooding in non-burn areas as well, which include possibility of widespread roadway flooding away from the burn areas.
The big story from this storm may be winds.
Strong and damaging winds from the south … gusts up to 65 mph … will be possible in the Malibu mountains,.
Because the grounds are wet with recent rains, the NWS warns we could see significant wind damage with this event, with numerous downed trees and power lines.
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The National Weather Service has issued a Beach Hazards Statement for elevated surf from late tonight through Monday morning.
There is also a chance of high surf late Saturday night and Sunday.
Elevated surf of 3 to 6 feet with local sets to 7 fee is expected late tonight through Saturday evening.
Surf may build to 6 to 10 feet with sets to 12 feet on west facing beaches late Saturday night and Sunday.
Surf will subside slowly Sunday night and early Monday.
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No rain is expected to fall today.
Malibu’s public schools are open.
Pacific Coast Highway was reopened before 5 o’clock yesterday … after hundreds of motorists were stuck on the road west of Malibu by rockslides.
Mud and rocks flowed out of the canyons during yesterday’s downpour.
More than a hundred vehicles were trapped … as Caltrans front end loaders and trucks moved the debris off the road.
Many of the drivers were stuck for hours.
On the cliffs above the road … the Woolsey Fire has destroyed groundcover on the steep hillsides.
That leaves Caltrans powerless to stop heavy debris flows to cover the road.
Tomorrow’s big rain may again close PCH west of Neptune’s Net … to Las Posas Road.
Thunder and lightning …
Zuma Beach was closed … but why anyone would have been on the beach during that downpour is iffy at best.
