California
California storm dumps record-breaking rain, nearly a foot of snow
The San Francisco Bay Area received “a pretty good soaking” of widespread rain on Saturday after offshore winds finally moved an unusually unpredictable storm system eastward through the region, causing temporary flooding, ponding in the roadways and some scattered lightning.
“It was the wettest day of the week by far,” Rick Canepa, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office, said Sunday. “It was a long wait for that [storm] to get here, and it was a pretty complex system, that’s for sure.”
Last week, forecasters were scratching their heads as they tried to determine how the looming storm would play out, noting at the time that the models were trending in “completely different directions” in terms of rainfall intensity. At first, forecasts indicated the possibility of an atmospheric river.
“But it’s been some years since we’ve had this much struggle with a single weather system,” Canepa said. “It wasn’t just one low [or storm] at times. There were two to three lows within the low that were trying to develop at the same time, causing it to wobble in direction a bit. It’s been a humbling experience, knowing how some of the best computer models in the world were struggling with the structure and complexity of that low-pressure system alone.”
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A few hundredths of an inch of rain started to trickle down on Tuesday, and trace amounts continued to fall throughout the week before the washout on Saturday. Canepa said the North Bay got the most rainfall last week – about one to three inches of rain on average with a whopping total of 4.82 inches measured at Venado’s rain gauge in Sonoma County, one of the wettest spots in the region. Meanwhile, Oak Ridge experienced 3.16 inches of rain, while Bodega Bay and Maribel Park saw 2.48 inches and 2.75 inches of rain, respectively.
The Santa Cruz Mountains all the way up to Daly City and San Bruno were next in line, with 2.29 inches of rain soaking Las Cumbres, 2.25 inches in Loma Prieta, 2.24 inches on Ormsby Road, 1.85 inches in Boulder Creek and 1.76 inches in San Lorenzo Valley.
Just about fourth tenths of an inch to an inch of rain was recorded along the San Francisco Bay shoreline, with 1.27 inches of rain drizzling over downtown San Francisco, 1.08 inches of rain at Mount Diablo and two tenths to nearly an inch of rain across the East Bay.
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“These are healthy rain totals that help greatly reduce the nearer term deficits that we’re just beginning to get,” Canepa said. “We’ve gotten rain before this, but this helps catch us up for the season to date.”
Outside of the region, the Paso Robles airport reported a record-breaking total of 1.74 inches of rain, far surpassing the previous record of 0.51 inches in 1982. Canepa highlighted just how staggering that was, noting the precipitation average for that site is typically 0.87 inches during the entire month of November, and 1.98 inches in December. “This is comparable to a month’s worth of December rainfall, and they recorded that in a single day,” he said.
The storm is currently moving across the Rockies and is expected to impact the East Coast by Tuesday night, Canepa said. Meanwhile, the Bay Area will be left with dry weather and mild daytime temperatures in the mid-to-high 60s and low 70s on Monday and Tuesday. Breezy to gusty winds are expected to develop late Sunday evening in higher elevations at speeds of 20 to 30 mph, which may blow around some debris and cause small branches to break off tree limbs. People are advised to secure any lightweight loose objects outdoors, use caution when operating high-profile vehicles and avoid burning anything outdoors.
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“Power outages are possible, but for the time being we’re not anticipating the need for a wind advisory,” Canepa said. “We’ll continue to closely monitor things and see how they develop.”
Along the California-Nevada border, an early winter storm brought as much as 10 inches of snow to Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe, seven inches to Mammoth Mountain ski base, four inches to Palisades and 0.8 inches to the Central Sierra Snow Lab. Peak wind gusts were as high as 154 miles per hour over the ridgetops of Ward Mountain, 84 mph at Heavenly and 52 mph at Lake Tahoe.
A winter weather advisory remains in effect until 10 p.m. Sunday for the Ruby Mountains and East Humboldt Range as total snow accumulations of three to 10 inches are expected at elevations up to 8,000 feet, and 12 to 18 inches above 8,000 feet, with wind gusts of up to 55 mph.
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“It’s a pretty typical late fall, early winter storm,” said Edan Lindaman, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Reno office. She noted conditions for travel appeared to be promising because the region is expected to trend toward warmer, drier conditions through at least Wednesday.
“But it is a reminder that we are heading into the winter season,” Lindaman continued. “If you’re planning to travel into the Sierra, Tahoe Basin or Mono Lake, carry your winter travel kit and check the roads before you go.”
California
California fires updates: Sunday, Feb. 2
LOS ANGELES – Rebuilding efforts continue across Southern California as the Jan. 2025 Los Angeles wildfires have finally been contained.
This comes as both Eaton and Palisades fires have both reached 100% containment.
Follow FOX 11’s live blog with the latest updates provided on the Jan. 2025 fires in SoCal:
Malibu mayor criticizes PCH reopening confusion
1:45 p.m.: Mayor Doug Stewart released the following statement in response to confusion over the reopening of the Pacific Coast Highway:
“As of 8 a.m. today, February 2, Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Malibu and the unincorporated areas is open to regular traffic, with one lane in each direction. Like Supervisor Horvath, we were surprised by last night’s announcement from the City of Los Angeles delaying the reopening – only to now learn that while neighborhood turn-offs have checkpoints, PCH itself remains fully open.
What was the purpose of this late-night decision if it was not going to be enforced? Our residents are trying to reclaim some sense of normalcy, and our businesses are trying to bring back employees who need to get to work. These last-minute, uncoordinated decisions create unnecessary confusion and disruption.
We urge the City of Los Angeles to work collaboratively with all affected jurisdictions in the future to ensure clarity, consistency, and thoughtful communication. Our communities have a hard enough road ahead – these moments require coordination and leadership, not confusion. Malibu remains focused on recovery and ensuring our residents and businesses have the stability they need.”
No Burn Order extended
11:45 a.m.: A ban on indoor and outdoor wood burning has been extended through Monday for the region due to a forecast of high air pollution in the area.
The residential ban affects all those in the South Coast Air Basin, including the non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and all of Orange County.
State deploys resources ahead of storm
10:30 a.m.: A storm system is expected to bring widespread rain and gusty winds to Southern California beginning Tuesday, raising fears of possible debris flows in recent burn areas.
SUGGESTED: ‘Pineapple Express’ among trio of atmospheric river events impacting California for days
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works is cleaning drainage facilities and debris basins, installing additional k-rails near homes and providing sandbags at vulnerable sites.
“The peak of the event will be from Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning,” the NWS said, adding that the chance of rain and the rainfall intensity will decrease Wednesday afternoon and evening. Another bout of rain is expected either Thursday or Friday, with dry skies returning by Saturday.
PCH reopening delayed
9:30 a.m.: Amid a disagreement between city and county officials, plans to remove all checkpoints for access to the Palisades community along Pacific Coast Highway have been delayed until Monday, when the LAPD will transfer responsibility for patrolling the area to the California Highway Patrol and the National Guard.
SUGGESTED: PCH reopening delayed, checkpoints to remain in place
The Eaton Fire
The Eaton Fire was first reported on Tuesday, Jan. 7 near Altadena and Midwick drives.
Some residents did not survive the flames and at least 7,000 structures were destroyed.
Authorities have implemented a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. for all areas that remain under mandatory evacuation orders in the Altadena area. This comes after more than 30 looting arrests were made by the LA County Sheriff’s Department.
What caused the Eaton Fire?
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but they were fueled by extreme drought conditions, combined with the supersized Santa Ana winds that whipped flames and embers at 100 mph – much faster than usual.
A lawsuit filed Monday claims Southern California Edison equipment sparked the Eaton Fire.
The lawsuit alleges that Southern California Edison failed to comply with essential electrical and fire safety standards, including failing to maintain power lines and overgrown vegetation.
The Palisades Fire
The Palisades Fire broke out on the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 7 as parts of Southern California were hit by powerful Santa Ana winds – the strongest to hit the area in over a decade, officials said. The piercing winds not only intensified the spread of the fire, it also prevented helicopters and planes from dumping water or fire retardant onto the burning scene as it was too dangerous to fly during the first day of the massive fire.
The fire extended well over 23,000 acres in seven days, destroying homes and businesses across the Pacific Palisades and Malibu. The fire also forced evacuations across parts of LA County, including Bel-Air, Brentwood and Santa Monica.
The fire also destroyed the Pacific Palisades Charter High School and other schools in the fire’s path.
What caused the Palisades Fire?
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, a popular hiking destination, Skull Rock – an area north of Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades – is at the center of an investigation “as a possible starting point for the Palisades fire.”
Meanwhile, local authorities have announced multiple rounds of arrests taking place from the Palisades Fire scenes, but none of which are explicitly related to the cause of the fire. Over the weekend, there was an announcement of a man arrested for impersonating a firefighter. The alleged “fake firefighter” was accused of trying to break into one of the evacuated homes.
Other people have also been accused of arson across Southern California.
The Source: Information for this story is from the National Weather Service.
California
Syracuse 75, California 66
Davis 2-5 2-2 6, Lampkin 3-8 0-0 6, Moore 2-5 0-0 6, Starling 6-18 5-7 18, Taylor 5-8 6-6 19, Carlos 2-4 3-3 8, Majstorovic 1-2 1-2 3, Bell 2-2 0-0 5, Cuffe 1-1 0-0 2, McLeod 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 25-54 17-20 75.
Petraitis 2-5 9-10 13, Sissoko 0-1 0-0 0, Blacksher 6-14 4-4 20, Campbell 1-6 0-0 2, Wilkinson 6-21 6-8 20, Ola-Joseph 2-10 3-6 7, Tucker 1-5 2-2 4, Dort 0-0 0-0 0, Mahoney 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-63 24-30 66.
Halftime_Syracuse 40-23. 3-Point Goals_Syracuse 8-16 (Taylor 3-5, Moore 2-4, Bell 1-1, Carlos 1-3, Starling 1-3), California 6-35 (Blacksher 4-12, Wilkinson 2-13, Mahoney 0-1, Tucker 0-1, Campbell 0-2, Petraitis 0-2, Ola-Joseph 0-4). Rebounds_Syracuse 39 (Lampkin 10), California 32 (Petraitis 8). Assists_Syracuse 11 (Starling 4), California 4 (Petraitis 2). Total Fouls_Syracuse 21, California 15. A_5,203 (11,877).
California
Personal Care Industry Comments On California DTSC’s Proposal Targeting Parabens
The Personal Care Products Council and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association submit comments to California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control on its consideration to add propyl- and butylparaben used in leave-on skin products to its list of Priority Products under the state’s Safer Consumer Products regulation.
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