California braces for a series of winter storms
A series of storms is headed toward California, starting Saturday night and continuing through next week. TV meteorologists in the Bay Area are still interpreting the computer models and hoping that each “wave” of storms is spaced from the next by a 12-hour “dry spell,” which would give the natural drainage of the Bay Area time to work and prevent a lot of flooding.
Southern California is a different story.
Foothill communities there are bracing for the same series of storms, which are expected to dump the most significant rainfall since the Station fire and send mudflows of debris and ash into foothill communities like La Cañada Flintridge and La Crescenta.
Four storms are expected to move through Southern California between Sunday and next Friday, dropping 4 to 8 inches of rain in coastal and valley areas and 8 to 16 inches of rain in the foothills and mountains, according to the National Weather Service.
More than 100,000 feet of concrete K-rail barriers has been laid to divert mudlflows and debris away from homes. Twenty-eight debris basins have been emptied in preparation for collecting mud and rocks. There are plans to close mountain roads, including Angeles Forest Highway, Big Tujunga Canyon Road and Upper Tujunga Canyon Road, at 4 a.m. Sunday. The roads will reopen after the storm systems pass. Dozens of residents who live in mountain hamlets accessible by these roads have been urged to evacuate. Residents will have to deal with mudslide danger for several years (forest experts estimate 5-7 years), until the growth of vegetation stabilizes the hillsides.
On the “upside,” the storms will bring large swells for surfers and fresh powder in the mountains for skiers. In Princeton-by-the-Sea, the Mavericks watchers have begun their quest for that perfect combination of waves and winds that could create the ideal conditions for a surfing contest “sometime” this season.
For both the good and the bad, we shall have to just wait and see.
-Bill at
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