LOOKS LIKE RAIN PACIFIC STORM SLIDES DOWN TO SOUTHLAND.Byline: Dana Bartholomew and Phillip W. Browne Staff Writers A Pacific storm that hit Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, during the night Monday could dump up to 2 inches of rain today, possibly accompanied by thunder, lightning, hail and ocean water spouts, weather forecasters said. On Monday, Los Angeles firefighters put the 48 members of their Swift Water Rescue Team on call. The team swings into action if rain falls at a rate of 1 inch an hour. ``We're calling them right now,'' said Capt. Bill Wicks of the Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), also known as the Los Angeles City Fire Department to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. It is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles. . ``If we get a significant mudslide, such as the one in Hollywood a month ago, we'll send in the swift-water team, urban search and rescue The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. and heavy rescue team.'' Because there were so few brush fires last year, many hillsides around Los Angeles are full of mud-trapping foliage. That makes the chance of a mudslide slim, Wicks said. While not as powerful as the downpour that snarled snarl 1 v. snarled, snarl·ing, snarls v.intr. 1. To growl viciously while baring the teeth. 2. To speak angrily or threateningly. v.tr. Los Angeles traffic on Feb. 12-13, the unstable weather system might be equally dramatic. ``While it's not as powerful, this system is a lot more unstable than the last one,'' said Stuart Seto, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service based in Oxnard. ``It is going to be especially rough in the foothill and mountain areas.'' Forecasters predicted that by the time the storm peters out this afternoon, 2 inches will have dropped in the foothills and mountains and between three-quarters and 1 inch in downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or . Before the deluge, downtown Los Angeles had received 9.3 inches since July 1, a half-inch below normal. The 100-mile storm is expected to bring the total to 10 inches, though weather researchers were loath to blame it on this year's warm equatorial El Nino current. ``How the storm coming down from the north is connected to El Nino is difficult to say, because we get them even in neutral or La Nina years,'' said Bruce Rockwell, an NWS NWS National Weather Service NWS Naval Weapons Station NWS New World Symphony NWS Nuclear Weapon State NWS Not Work Safe NWS National Watercolor Society NWS North Warning System NWS Nose Wheel Steering NWS National Waste Strategy (UK) weather specialist. ``This is just a typical winter storm.'' Snow was considered likely at major mountain passes, including Interstate 5 through the Grapevine. A winter storm watch See Severe weather terminology for a comprehensive article on this term and related weather terms. A Winter Storm Watch is issued by the National Weather Service of the United States when there is a potential for heavy snow or significant ice accumulations. was declared for the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties beginning Monday night and lasting through this morning. ``We expect snow at 4,000 feet, which will increase our snow play activities,'' said Angeles National Forest The Angeles National Forest (ANF) was established by executive order on December 20, 1892 as the San Gabriel Timberland Reserve. It covers over 2,600 km² (650,000 acres) and is located in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, just north of the metropolitan area of Los spokeswoman Gail Wright. ``People are asked to carry chains and a change of clothes in case the kids get wet, and some extra food and water.'' The California Highway Patrol went on alert Monday for dangerous road conditions through today. ``If the conditions get too rough, the officers that patrol Interstate 5 will shut it down,'' said CHP CHP Chapter CHP Combined Heat and Power CHP California Highway Patrol CHP Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (Turkish: Republican People's Party) CHP Chemical Hygiene Plan (OSHA) CHP Community Health Plan Officer Wendy Moore. ``We want to send the message to motorists to be safe and keep it slow when the storm hits.'' Between 6 inches and a foot of snow was expected, though the accumulation could reach 16 inches at higher elevations, Seto said. CAPTION(S): chart Chart: RAINFALL TOTALS |
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