Last week’s storm brought about 1.5 inches of rainfall to Santa Monica, but it was nothing more than a puddle-sized appetizer to Sunday’s inundation. The atmospheric river-powered storm that began Sunday has emptied the streets of pedestrians and made driving an incredible hassle for many.
As of 9:50 a.m. on Monday, the National Weather Service (NWS) observation station at Santa Monica Municipal Airport reported a mammoth 5.74 inches of rainfall in the city from Sunday into Monday morning. According to historical weather data website Weather Underground, the one-day rainfall total is the largest in Santa Monica in at least five years, even eclipsing the one-day total from Tropical Storm Hilary on August 21, 2023 (3.55 inches). The drenching is scheduled to continue through Wednesday, with local and Los Angeles area officials continuing to monitor a myriad of impacts.
City representatives posted a summary of local storm impacts on its Facebook page Monday morning, stating that there have been "no significant concerns on city streets" and that public works crews remain vigilant in clearing out debris and managing storm drains. Due to the rainfall, Monday’s street sweeping was canceled in order to focus public works on storm management. Officials also asked that if residents see a downed tree or have other issues from the rain, they should call 311 or report it online at 311.santamonica.gov. Trash pickup was still on track for completion Monday morning, though some areas may have seen delays or missed recycling pickup.
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) kept Santa Monica schools open on Monday. The district’s Emergency Operations Center convened twice on Sunday and once on Monday morning, ultimately choosing to keep school in session in Santa Monica, with SMMUSD Community and Public Relations Officer Gail Pinsker citing families with working parents "who rely on school for their children" along with meal services as considerations when making the decision.
"Our maintenance crews inspected our schools early and that contributed to the decision to open," Pinsker added. "The district has invested in roof repair over the past few years to best prepare for rain, wind and storms."
Pinsker said some campuses were experiencing roof leaks and rainfall-related issues on Monday. District officials met via Zoom Monday evening to review conditions and facility status to make a decision regarding Tuesday classes, with no decision made at the time of going to press.
However, due to road closures in the Malibu area causing inability for some staff to travel to school sites, Malibu schools within SMMUSD were closed on Monday. Malibu and Topanga Canyons were both closed as of 7:22 a.m. Monday, with a local traffic advisory warning that roads can be hazardous with rocks, mud and flooding. According to the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station, multiple vehicles were submerged on Piuma Road Monday morning, and large boulders had fallen between Piuma Road and Potter Drive. The station also reported a minor mudslide off Cornell Road in Agoura Hills around 7 a.m. Monday. SMMUSD said Malibu schools were scheduled to reopen Tuesday.
In addition to Malibu school sites closing, other Santa Monica schools such as Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences and New Roads School shut down on Monday. Saint Monica Preparatory, Saint Anne School and Santa Monica College remained open as normal, though the college’s Corsair track was closed to the public due to flooding.
The city was not without its own road closures, as at 10 a.m. Monday, the city’s SMAlert system noted that the California Incline would be closed in both directions for about an hour while public works employees were removing debris from the roadway. Santa Monica Police Department did not have any weather-related emergencies to report, with the office assisting traffic control during the Incline shutdown, as well as assisting street maintenance to respond to a large pothole on Montana Ave. at 21st Street.
Other local storm impacts included high wind gusts, with gusts hovering between the high teens and low 20s into Monday morning. The peak wind gust observed by the NWS was 22 mph at 4 p.m. Sunday.
Just a small trip south down the coast from Santa Monica, NWS observation stations in Venice and Marina del Rey respectively reported 4.39 and 5.48 24-hour rainfall totals. As part of the City of Los Angeles’ Augmented Winter Shelter Program, Venice’s Oakwood Recreation Center at 767 California Ave was activated as a shelter site beginning at 5 p.m. Sunday, with the City’s Recreation and Parks Department providing facility management and Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) service providers managing the sites. The 103-bed site will stay in operation until the evening of Feb. 8, with the possibility of extension if severe weather persists.
North of the city was even more deluged than Santa Monica, with a NWS Pacific Palisades observation station reporting a 24-hour rainfall of 6.17 inches. An incredible 8.23 inches of rainfall was recorded at the Malibu Canyon NWS site, while a Malibu Hills site recorded 7.25 inches over Sunday and Monday morning.
For Los Angeles proper, Mayor Karen Bass issued a local state of emergency Monday morning, stating that the declaration ensures the city has proper resources for storm management both during and after the weather event. Bass noted that Saturday into Sunday was the 10th wettest day in the history of Los Angeles.
While the city moved out of a flood advisory Monday afternoon, Santa Monica remains under a flood watch until 4 p.m. Tuesday, with the NWS expecting hourly rainfall rates of 0.1 to 0.25 inches throughout the remainder of the storm. The total additional rainfall amount will be anywhere from 1.5 to 3 inches in Los Angeles County, including Santa Monica, and while the rain will be generally lighter than Sunday’s portion of the storm, locally brief and heavy downpours can still be expected.
