Current:Home > FinanceRecord rainfall, triple-digit winds, hundreds of mudslides. Here’s California’s storm by the numbers -TradeWise
Record rainfall, triple-digit winds, hundreds of mudslides. Here’s California’s storm by the numbers
View
Date:2025-04-14 22:13:54
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The slow-moving atmospheric river that was finally moving out of California on Wednesday unleashed record rainfall, triple-digit winds and hundreds of mudslides.
Here is the historic storm by the numbers:
___
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES
In four days, downtown Los Angeles got soaked by more than 8 inches (20 cm) of rain — more than half of the 14.25 inches (36 cm) it normally gets per year.
That is according to the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles office, which has records dating back to 1877.
February tends to be one of the city’s rainier months. Only seven days into the month, it is already the 13th wettest February on record.
___
RAINIEST SPOTS
Downtown Los Angeles wasn’t the only spot that received colossal amounts of rain. About 12 miles (19 kilometers) to the northwest, the hills of Bel Air got more than a foot — 13.04 inches (34 cm) — between Sunday and late Wednesday morning.
Several other locations in Los Angeles County received more than a foot of rain during the four-day span, including Sepulveda Canyon, Topanga Canyon, Cogswell Dam and Woodland Hills.
___
WIND
A gust of 102 mph (164 kph) was recorded Sunday at Pablo Point in Marin County, just north of San Francisco, at an elevation of 932 feet (284 meters).
While just missing the December 1995 record of 103 mph (166 kph) at Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, “102 is very, very impressive,” said meteorologist Nicole Sarment at the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office.
The top 10 strongest gusts — between 102 and 89 mph (164 and 143 kph) — recorded at the height of the weekend’s winds were all in Marin and nearby Santa Clara County, the weather service said. Gusts above 80 mph (129 kph) were also recorded in Napa and Monterey counties.
Other wind readings Sunday included 77 mph (124 kph) at the San Francisco airport, 61 mph (98 kph) at the Oakland airport and 59 mph (95 kph) at the San Jose airport.
___
MUDSLIDES
By Wednesday, crews had responded to 520 mudslides across Los Angeles, according to the mayor’s office. The mudslides closed roads across the city, smashed into homes and prompted evacuation orders in canyon neighborhoods with burn scars from recent wildfires.
Emergency crews also responded to more than 400 fallen trees.
Those numbers could rise because even though rain was diminishing, already sodden hillsides still threatened to give way.
So far, 12 buildings have been deemed uninhabitable, the city said. And at least 30 were yellow-tagged, meaning residents could go back to get their belongings but could not stay because of the damage. Inspections were ongoing at dozens more properties.
___
WATER
All the rain brought one silver lining: Helping to boost the state’s often-strapped water supply. More than 7 billion gallons (26.5 billion liters) of storm water in Los Angeles County were captured for groundwater and local supplies, the mayor’s office said. Just two years ago, nearly all of California was plagued by a devastating drought that strained resources and forced water cutbacks.
veryGood! (1998)
Related
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- Nordstrom Rack Has Up to 80% Off Deals on Summer Sandals From Vince Camuto, Dolce Vita & More
- Meta launches Threads early as it looks to take on Twitter
- Oakland’s War Over a Coal Export Terminal Plays Out in Court
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- The Sounds That Trigger Trauma
- Americans flood tourist hot spots across Europe after pandemic
- Man slips at Rocky Mountain waterfall, is pulled underwater and dies
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- Puerto Rico Passes 100% Clean Energy Bill. Will Natural Gas Imports Get in the Way?
Ranking
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- Brian Austin Green Slams Claim Ex Megan Fox Forces Sons to Wear Girls Clothes
- Bud Light sales continue to go flat during key summer month
- Multiple shark attacks reported off New York shores; 50 sharks spotted at one beach
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- Drilling, Mining Boom Possible But Unlikely Under Trump’s Final Plan for Southern Utah Lands
- Persistent poverty exists across much of the U.S.: The ultimate left-behind places
- Book excerpt: American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal
Recommendation
Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
Boy, 7, shot and killed during Florida jet ski dispute; grandfather wounded while shielding child
Madonna Gives the Shag Haircut Her Stamp of Approval With New Transformation
Q&A: A Human Rights Expert Hopes Covid-19, Climate Change and Racial Injustice Are a ‘Wake-Up Call’
Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
3 Arctic Wilderness Areas to Watch as Trump Tries to Expand Oil & Gas Drilling
Lea Michele, Lupita Nyong'o and More Stars Dazzle at the 2023 Tony Awards
Gabrielle Union Shares How She Conquered Her Fear of Being a Bad Mom