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Evacuations, Mudslides, Rain And Traffic This SoCal Afternoon

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The rain -- which is expected to last for days -- has led to a mudslide in Malibu, mandatory evacuations in areas affected by the Holy Fire and mandatory evacuations in the areas below the Sherpa/Whittier and Thomas Fire burn areas. A flood advisory was issued at 1:19 p.m. for East Central Ventura County and Western L.A. County.

I-5 was closed in both directions in the Gorman/Lebec area and southbound on Grapevine Road due to snow, however CHP is allowing cars through in six to seven vehicle groups as of 3:13 p.m.

The right lane of PCH is closed at Chataqua Boulevard, and Decker Road is closed in both directions from PCH to upper Muholland Highway. A flash flood watch has been issued for areas affected by the recent fires.

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For ongoing updates throughout Monday night and into Tuesday morning, here are some sites to check:


PCH is closed at West Broad Beach Road going westbound, and Harvester Road is closed near Clover Heights Avenue in Malibu. The road from San Pedro's bluffs to the beach at White Point/Royal Palms beach is closed, and will remain so throughout the week.

The National Weather Service reports that the rain and snow is expected to stop temporarily on Monday night, then pick back up Tuesday afternoon.

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Just before 8 a.m., a westbound land of PCH was reported closed at Leo Carrillo and Cal Fire released a list of vulnerable zones in Riverside County, and the National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning beginning at noon today and lasting through the evening for the following areas:

  • Orange County
  • Riverside County mountains and valleys
  • San Bernardino County mountains and valleys
  • Riverside County valleys
  • The Inland Empire
  • San Diego County coastal areas, mountains and valleys
  • Santa Ana mountains and foothills

L.A. County officials have told residents in and around Woolsey Fire burn zone to prepare for possible evacuation.

PCH is now OPEN in both directions from Broad Beach Road to Las Posas Road after closing this morning due to heavy mudflow.

In other Holy Fire areas, a voluntary evacuation notice has been issued, and sandbags have been put in place to keep water from flooding Trabuco Canyon Road.

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County officials also offer these tips for staying safe during the inclement weather if you're living in areas affected by the recent fires...

...and Caltrans offers a reminder to put chains on your car if you're headed into the mountains.

County officials also issued a reminder to "Avoid contact with ocean water around storm drains, creeks & rivers" until 9:00 a.m. on Thursday because of debris.

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Meanwhile, we're already seeing news about the storms picked up by CNN; a welcome change from that time when some national media weirdly sort of ignored the fires that ravaged our state.

EXPECTED RAINFALL

Southern California needs the rain -- most of L.A. County remains in a severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Last year, L.A. got 32 percent of what's normal.

Meanwhile, various tweeters are offering up their own roadside perspective. ABC7's John Gregory has video of a rock slide in Malibu Canyon, the National Weather Service has images of snow on I-5, and KCBS/KCAL reporter Christy Fajardo uploaded video of backed up storm drains in the Valley.

UPDATES:

9:05 a.m.: This article was updated with a statement about vigilance for Woolsey Fire burn area residents.

11:20 a.m.: This article was updated with tips for those living in burn areas, information about the flash flood warning and a link to CNN's report on the storms.

12:45 p.m.: This article was updated with tweets about roadside conditions, a reminder to put chains on your car if you're headed to the mountains and a forecast for Tuesday.

1:49 p.m.: This article was updated with information about road closures at the Grapevine and flood advisories in Ventura and L.A. Counties.

This article was originally published at 8:33 a.m.

Lisa Brenner, Ryan Fonseca and Jessica P. Ogilvie contributed to this post.

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