A Stormy President’s Day
By Anant Goenka
Another winter storm, one of many that have passed through Southern California in the past month, brought rains and high winds early Monday, inconveniencing commuters in the Los Angeles and Orange counties.
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| Storm In Downtown | Original Photograph |
As the National Weather Service at Oxnard issued flood advisories, the California Highway Patrol closed the state Route 126, 4 miles north of the Hughes Road junction to the Grapevine due to “snow and icy conditions.” The CHP also reported flooding on Highway 1 at 13th Street, Highway 73 at Jamboree Road, Pearblossom Highway at Longview Road and on Interstate 605 at Interstate 210. Commuters were warned of hazardous driving conditions on Interstate 15 at Bear Valley Road and on Highway 138 at the I-15.
National Weather Service specialist Stuart Seto said the slow-moving pacific storm will bring heavy rain and high winds through Tuesday evening.
“It will continue with heavy rain today – 1/2 to three inches – and up to 5 inches in the mountains. On Tuesday they will start to get showery; about 50 percent (probability of precipitation) Tuesday, 20 percent Tuesday night, and Wednesday -partly cloudy.”
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| Storm Approaching | Original Photograph |
Seto said commuters were “lucky it was a partial holiday.” On a regular working day, he said, the storm would have worsened traffic conditions during rush hour on interstates 101 and 5.
In downtown Los Angeles, the weather prevented shoppers from visiting the President’s Day sale at Macy’s said Mario Gonzales, a part-time employee with Macy’s, as he wrestled the winds on the intersection of Figueroa and 9th streets to hold a billboard advertisement for the sale.
Stomry Sale: A Macy's employee advertises President's day sale on 9th and Figueroa streets
At the construction site of a new condominium complex on Olympic Boulevard, Security Guard Jerry Nairn said some dry-wall workers and carpenters were unable to work in the tough rain and wind.
“The roof was ready well before the storms so we could work through all the rain. But with this storm some of us had to take the day off,” said construction worker Ryan Meilleur.
KTLA reported Monday’s storm as the most significant storm so far this season. “I didn’t know the storm was coming so hard; it broke my umberella! I had to go buy this rain gear and even that split,” said Nairn.
Seto said the storm, which is expected to completely pass Southern California by Friday, caused unusually low temperatures in the region.
“We have been running that downtown-USC (area) almost 10 to 12 degrees below normal. Our normal highest is about 70, for this time of the year and our daytime high has been around 60 (degrees),” he said.
While the stormy weather may continue through Tuesday, the weather service expects dry weather conditions to return to Southern California by Wednesday with highs of over 60 degrees.
left: Original Photo Right: Edited Photo One |
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