The month of December is off to a wet start in southern California! Heavy rain fell across the drought-stricken Los Angeles and San Diego areas earlier this week. Flooding was a major concern, in both urban and wildfire burn scar areas.
Rainfall totals were measured in inches between December 5th and 6th. Some of the highest rainfall totals were observed in Orange County, located between Los Angeles and San Diego.
Mountain locations also picked up several inches of rain in addition to high elevation snow.
Rainfall summary for our recent storm with many areas receiving 2 inches or more. The highest amounts were in the San Gabriel Mtns with 4-5 inches along with up to a foot of snow above 6000 ft. Several inches of snow closed the #Grapevine I5 highway as well. #CAwx #LArain pic.twitter.com/2xufQ7o66E
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) December 7, 2018
In downtown Los Angeles, record rainfall of 1.91 inches was observed on Thursday. That day—December 6th—will enter the weather almanac as Los Angeles’ wettest calendar day of 2018. It was also the wettest day in almost two years! You have to look back to February 17, 2017 for a higher one-day rain total (2.01 inches) in downtown Los Angeles.
Looking ahead, drier weather is in the forecast for southern California. This weekend and next week, a mix of sun and clouds is expected with highs reaching into the upper 60s and lower 70s.
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