Weather Service Issues Flood Warning

Rain and snow moved into Southern California Saturday—just a week before the start of spring and the end of National Flood Awareness Week, which began Monday.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood advisory for Los Angeles County, including Downtown, La Cañada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Sierra Madre, Lake View Terrace, Tuijunga and Sunland. The advisory is in effect until 12:15 p.m. 

A heavy winter-type storm front, described as "vigorous'' by the National Weather Service, arrived as Saturday morning broke. Heavy rain hit the Station Fire burn area, but county flood experts said mudflows from fire-scarred mountainsides were not expected.

The rain and cold will bedevil the Los Angeles Marathon for the second straight year. Sunday's race will be run in what forecasters expect to be a cold rain, and ponchos and garbage bags will be passed out to runners in hopes of avoiding the dozens of cases of hypothermia that affected runners last year. Click here to read about precautions to take during the run.

Snow was falling Saturday down to the 6,000-foot level, and forced . Overnight winds were strong, too. Gusts topped 52 miles per hour at Topanga, 56 mph at Lake Palmdale, and even higher in the San Gabriel Mountains.

The late-winter storm hit a Southland that is running well behind its normal precipitation ration of 15 inches per year. The total rainfall at the downtown station since July 1 has only been 5.2 inches. Up to 1-1/2 inches of rain could fall in Los Angeles by the time the storm passes to the east on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

Most of the rain should fall today, and gusts up to 40 mph are possible after the storm front passes. Hail and thunderstorms are possible around the metro area, and snow levels could drop to about 2,500 and affect traffic along the Grapevine section of Interstate 5 near the Tejon Pass, which tops out at 4,160 feet. More than a foot of snow is expected at the local resorts.

"Anyone planning to travel into the mountains and deserts this weekend should be prepared for the possibility of winter-weather driving conditions," the NWS said, adding: "This weather could be deadly for unprepared campers or hikers.''

Angeles Forest Highway and Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road were closed through Angeles National Forest, according to county Department of Public Works. Angeles Forest Highway also will be closed between Aliso Canyon Road and Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road, and Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road was closed as well.

National Flood Awareness Week

Coincidentally, this week also marks National Flood Awareness Week, traditionally a time for homeowners and community leaders to make sure that their neighborhoods are prepared for flooding.

While it's impossible to completely reduce the risk of being hit by a flood-related power outage, backup power can keep your home and family safe while your local utility scrambles—usually against great odds—to restore power.

Click here to read some helpful tips about how to prepare for a power outage by equipping yourself with equipment purchased from our friendly neighborhood hardware store, Tritch—the suggestions are related to crises during earthquakes but are equally applicable to floods.

Here are some ways that portable and standby generators homeowners can use during a power outage (there are numerous models, such as Generac and Kohler):

• The most important home appliance that a standby generator will power during a flood is your basement sump pump, decreasing the risk of water damage to your home and possessions. 

• In our networked world, Internet, TV and radio provide important severe weather updates to keep communities safe and informed. If the power goes out in the wake of a flood, a back-up power source will keep these technologies running.

• Standby power can also save families hundreds of dollars in food costs, eliminating the risk of spoiled refrigerated and frozen foods while utility power is down.

• If flooding causes power outages during times of extreme heat or cold, an emergency back-up power source will turn on to keep the furnace or air-conditioning units running.

• A back-up generator can save lives for those on power-dependent health equipment, such as kidney dialysis machines or respirators, keeping this essential equipment running during a power outage.