In Southern California when it rains, it pours.
Another storm system is expected to reach the Santa Clarita Valley Thursday night with rain continuing throughout the weekend.
“We’re expecting the rain to begin late on Thursday and continue through Saturday morning,” National Weather Service (NWS) Meteorology Kathy Hoxsie said. “Friday looks like it’s really going to be the day because it’s going to be raining off and on with heavy to moderate rain.”
Hoxsie said the NWS is projecting that a couple of inches of rain will fall on the area on Friday alone. Another 0.10 to 0.25 inches is expected to fall Thursday and 0.25 to 0.5 inches is expected to fall Saturday.
“We need to be prepared for a lot of rain,” Hoxsie said.
Preliminary Storm Totals expected (Thu-Sun) These amounts could change. 2-4″ Coast/Valleys. 4-8″ Mountains. #CAstom #LArain pic.twitter.com/vTYPb0Srqf
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) February 14, 2017
Temperatures to accompany the rain storm are expected to stay consistent throughout the weekend, with highs in the upper-50s and low-60s and lows in the low- to mid-40s, according to the NWS.
Storms have consistently moved throughout the state during December and January, bringing rain, hail and even snow to some areas of the Santa Clarita Valley.
In total for this season, the NWS recorded 14.49 inches of rain in Del Valle near Val Verde, 15.39 inches of rain in Newhall and 8.62 inches of rain in Castaic. The NWS did not have recorded rain totals for the Saugus station this year.
The numbers, although high, are still below the seasonal normal for areas like Del Valle, which typically sees 17.89 inches of rain during a seasonally normal year, according to the NWS.
With heavy rainstorms also comes the potential for mud and debris flow, which has already wreaked havoc on Santa Clarita streets and in Santa Clarita neighborhoods this year.
From Jan. 18 to 23, the city of Santa Clarita spent a total of $155,583 on repairs due to storm-related incidents, according to Santa Clarita’s Communications Manager Carrie Lujan.
Of the repairs, $11,500 went to downed trees, $62,750 went to Iron Canyon and Sand Canyon Bridge and $81,333 went to labor, material and equipment.
Since December, the city has also spent $72,000 on city-wide road repairs.
Officials from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works are encouraging residents to prepare now for the impending storms in the forecast.
“One word is we’re trying to get out to people is the time to get your sandbags,” said Steven Frasher, public information officer for Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. “Fill them up and deploy them is now before the storm gets here.”
Residents can pick up free sandbags from Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Stations 123 and 132 to defend against the dangers of mudslides and debris flow.
Public Works officials are also telling individuals to avoid fast moving waters and flooded streets when commuting.
“If there’s fast moving water, don’t drive into it,” Frasher said.
The heavy rainfall this year is making a positive impact on the state’s drought conditions and reservoirs, which have seen an improvement from last year.
According to the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor released Feb. 9, only 47 percent of the state is in experiencing moderate drought conditions and only 0.73 percent of the state is under extreme drought conditions.
This is an improvement from one year ago when 94 percent of the state was experiencing moderate drought conditions and 61 percent of the state was experiencing extreme drought conditions.
Water levels at Castaic Lake are nearing their historical average, with current levels at 92 percent of capacity of 325,000 acre-feet. The historical average for the reservoir is 108 percent acre-feet of water.
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