Current:Home > NewsRecord rainfall, triple-digit winds, hundreds of mudslides. Here’s California’s storm by the numbers -PrimeFinance
Record rainfall, triple-digit winds, hundreds of mudslides. Here’s California’s storm by the numbers
View
Date:2025-04-18 14:54:20
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The slow-moving atmospheric river that was finally moving out of California on Wednesday unleashed record rainfall, triple-digit winds and hundreds of mudslides.
Here is the historic storm by the numbers:
___
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES
In four days, downtown Los Angeles got soaked by more than 8 inches (20 cm) of rain — more than half of the 14.25 inches (36 cm) it normally gets per year.
That is according to the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles office, which has records dating back to 1877.
February tends to be one of the city’s rainier months. Only seven days into the month, it is already the 13th wettest February on record.
___
RAINIEST SPOTS
Downtown Los Angeles wasn’t the only spot that received colossal amounts of rain. About 12 miles (19 kilometers) to the northwest, the hills of Bel Air got more than a foot — 13.04 inches (34 cm) — between Sunday and late Wednesday morning.
Several other locations in Los Angeles County received more than a foot of rain during the four-day span, including Sepulveda Canyon, Topanga Canyon, Cogswell Dam and Woodland Hills.
___
WIND
A gust of 102 mph (164 kph) was recorded Sunday at Pablo Point in Marin County, just north of San Francisco, at an elevation of 932 feet (284 meters).
While just missing the December 1995 record of 103 mph (166 kph) at Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, “102 is very, very impressive,” said meteorologist Nicole Sarment at the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office.
The top 10 strongest gusts — between 102 and 89 mph (164 and 143 kph) — recorded at the height of the weekend’s winds were all in Marin and nearby Santa Clara County, the weather service said. Gusts above 80 mph (129 kph) were also recorded in Napa and Monterey counties.
Other wind readings Sunday included 77 mph (124 kph) at the San Francisco airport, 61 mph (98 kph) at the Oakland airport and 59 mph (95 kph) at the San Jose airport.
___
MUDSLIDES
By Wednesday, crews had responded to 520 mudslides across Los Angeles, according to the mayor’s office. The mudslides closed roads across the city, smashed into homes and prompted evacuation orders in canyon neighborhoods with burn scars from recent wildfires.
Emergency crews also responded to more than 400 fallen trees.
Those numbers could rise because even though rain was diminishing, already sodden hillsides still threatened to give way.
So far, 12 buildings have been deemed uninhabitable, the city said. And at least 30 were yellow-tagged, meaning residents could go back to get their belongings but could not stay because of the damage. Inspections were ongoing at dozens more properties.
___
WATER
All the rain brought one silver lining: Helping to boost the state’s often-strapped water supply. More than 7 billion gallons (26.5 billion liters) of storm water in Los Angeles County were captured for groundwater and local supplies, the mayor’s office said. Just two years ago, nearly all of California was plagued by a devastating drought that strained resources and forced water cutbacks.
veryGood! (7668)
Related
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- LGBTQ+ creatives rely on Pride Month income. This year, they're feeling the pinch
- Inside Clean Energy: Flow Batteries Could Be a Big Part of Our Energy Storage Future. So What’s a Flow Battery?
- Why Filming This Barbie Scene Was the Worst Day of Issa Rae’s Life
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- International Commission Votes to Allow Use of More Climate-Friendly Refrigerants in AC and Heat Pumps
- Why Paul Wesley Gives a Hard Pass to a Vampire Diaries Reboot
- Google shows you ads for anti-abortion centers when you search for clinics near you
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- Are American companies thinking about innovation the right way?
Ranking
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- What we know about the 5 men who were aboard the wrecked Titan sub
- States Have Proposals, But No Consensus, On Curbing Water Shortages In Colorado River Basin
- Is greedflation really the villain?
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- Wildfires Are Burning State Budgets
- Save 40% On Top-Rated Mascaras From Tarte, Lancôme, It Cosmetics, Urban Decay, Too Faced, and More
- Taylor Swift Reunites With Taylor Lautner in I Can See You Video and Onstage
Recommendation
US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
Climate Activists Reluctantly Back John Fetterman in Tightening Pennsylvania Senate Race
Study Finds Global Warming Fingerprint on 2022’s Northern Hemisphere Megadrought
Inside Clean Energy: In a World Starved for Lithium, Researchers Develop a Method to Get It from Water
Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
U.S. Starbucks workers join in a weeklong strike over stores not allowing Pride décor
Chad Michael Murray's Wife Sarah Roemer Is Pregnant With Baby No. 3
Jamie Foxx Takes a Boat Ride in First Public Appearance Since Hospitalization