“Water, water, everywhere…”
– Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1)”
The state of California has always been about water.
Sometimes, we have too much in some spots.
The change in weather that redirected a succession of storms from Northern California to Southern California resulted in monsoon-like conditions today, with flash floods and knee-deep water and mud. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for much of Los Angeles County and several parts of San Bernardino and Riverside counties, including the Mojave Desert (yes, once again, “back to the Mojave Desert…” 
).
Up to 40 homes in the community of Highland in San Bernardino County were damaged after two small rivers overflowed, spilling mud and water. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in six counties as rainstorms continued for the fifth day in a row. The state of emergency exists for Kern, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo and Tulare counties, all in southern California. A member of the Los Angeles County Public Works was quoted as saying that the area could face up to eight more inches of rain! The forecast for “extraordinary and continuing rainfall” is likely to cause more flooding and landslides.
The news brought stories of downed trees in Altadena, motorists stranded, a spectacular double rainbow over the famous Hollywood Sign and surrounding hills, a Whittier cemetery with graves close to being washed away, streets flooded, fences knocked down, people seeking refuge in Red Cross shelters in San Luis Obispo and Guadalupe.
Five-day rain totals are over 10 inches in many places, with San Bernardino County’s Twin Peaks receiving more than 21 inches and Twin Creeks with almost 20 inches.
An iReport video of water flowing across a road in the normally “bone-dry” Mojave Desert town of Hesperia, California has been published.
In Los Angeles County, 232 homes were ordered evacuated in the La Cañada Flintridge and La Crescenta areas, but only one family left its home. (Evacuation orders were lifted at 6:30 PM local time.)
Rescuers are hoping to find four adult hikers tomorrow (Thursday) morning who were stranded in the San Gabriel Mountains. The hikers range in age from 23 to 34 and are believed to be in the Heaton Flats area above Glendora. They have been hiking since Sunday.
The storms are known as the “Pineapple Express” because they originate near Hawaii. The moisture-laden storms have also meant heavy snow in the higher elevations. Wind gusts have accompanied the storm. Peak gusts at Alpine Meadows summit in Northern California reached 152 miles per hour.
(Note added December 24, 2010: Dry weather yesterday and today should help Southern California dry out before more rain, which is forecast for Christmas. Of course, it also lets the mud harden enough to support the weight of photographers.)
-Bill at
Cheshire Cat Photo™ – “Your Guide to California’s Wonderland™”
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