California officials warn of ‘high danger of mud and debris flows’ as rain follows wildfires
California officials warn of ‘high danger of mud and debris flows’ as rain follows wildfires
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Rain may help firefighters reining in fires after weeks of dry weather but also boosts risk of toxic ash runoff. More rain fell on Monday in parts of southern California after causing mudflows over the weekend, helping firefighters but boosting the risk of toxic ash runoff in areas scorched by Los Angeles-area wildfires.
Flood watches were in effect for burn areas from recent fires that broke out around the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods, as well as Castaic Lake, said Joe Sirard, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “All these fresh burns are very susceptible to rapid runoff,” Sirard said, warning of even small amounts of rain in a few minutes’ time. “What that means is we have a fairly high danger of mud and debris flows once we get above those thresholds.”.
Los Angeles International Airport reported a little under an inch of rain (2.5cm) in a 24-hour period ending at 3am Monday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported. Surrounding areas reported lesser amounts. School was closed on Monday for the four Malibu schools in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District “due to dangerous road conditions and challenges with access to our schools”, school officials posted online.
A portion of the Pacific Coast Highway in Los Angeles county was closed as of Sunday afternoon due to mudflows in Topanga Canyon, the California Department of Transportation said. Heavy snow fell in the mountains in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
