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Rain, Snow And Power Outages In LA Today
Storm clouds loom large over downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2019. (Richard Vogel/AP)
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Heavy rains, flooding and heavy snow are hitting much of Southern California Thursday morning.
According to the National Weather Service, Los Angeles County could see up to two inches of rain, and winds between 25 and 55 miles per hour. Rainfall totals in portions of Orange County have already exceeded two inches.
Snow could fall at levels as low as 2,500 feet, and some L.A.-area mountains will see one to two inches of the white stuff. Cuyama Valley could get between two and four inches of snow, and snowfall in the Antelope Valley could reach six inches.
The storm is expected to move through the area Thursday and be on its way out by Friday.
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"We [could] still see some showers, but they're going to be gradually tapering off throughout the day" on Friday, said NWS meteorologist Samantha Connoley. "So some scattered showers aren't out of the question... throughout the overnight hours, but tomorrow looks mostly dry."
The storm has prompted road closures and power outages. According to Caltrans, the I-5 Grapevine, State Road 33 and State Road 2 are experiencing closures:
CURRENT HIGHWAY CLOSURES As of 11:30 AM
— Caltrans District 7 (@CaltransDist7) December 26, 2019
I-5 Grapevine — Parker Rd in Castaic to Grapevine Rd in Kern County
SR-33 — Wheeler Gorge to Apache Cyn Rd
SR-2 / Angeles Crest Hwy — Angeles Forest Boundary to Islip Saddle
DURATION UNKNOWN. Check https://t.co/cxZ0jVPIRf for latest. pic.twitter.com/ApeGDn59rS
The 15 Freeway is also closed through the Cajon Pass:
Driving south on the I-15 you can see the line of trucks and cars stranded for hours on the northbound side of the freeway. The southbound lanes are open. Take precautions if you are driving north and visit @NBCLA for updates pic.twitter.com/Zzmxqx9Hqu
— Armando Aparicio (@armandapari) December 26, 2019
State Route 166 is been affected:
Kern County: State Route 166 between 33 and 101 CLOSED due to heavy snow fall and multiple accidents in the area. No ETO
— Caltrans District 6 (@CaltransDist6) December 26, 2019
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A rock slide is blocking the westbound lane and parts of the eastbound lane of Topanga Canyon Boulevard at Grand View Drive.
NWS warns that the weather could also affect Highways 14 and 138.
Meanwhile, nearly 12,000 SoCal Edison customers are experiencing power outages. There are 47 outages within the company's coverage area, with the bulk of affected customers concentrated in L.A. County. The City of Bell was hit particularly hard, where 4,000 customers are without power.
"We do try to make sure that we have crews readily available to respond to outages... during any kind of inclement weather," said David Song, a spokesperson for SoCal Edison.
Song added that crews are already working to restore power to affected customers.
Customers are also experiencing outages in the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's coverage area, including in Silver Lake, Echo Park, North Hills and East Hollywood.
UPDATES:
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2:17 p.m.: This article was updated with information about road closures.
This article was originally published at 11 a.m.
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