Current:Home > reviewsRecord rainfall, triple-digit winds, hundreds of mudslides. Here’s California’s storm by the numbers -Trailblazer Capital Learning
Record rainfall, triple-digit winds, hundreds of mudslides. Here’s California’s storm by the numbers
View
Date:2025-04-13 11:04:04
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! (51)
Related
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- California’s Almond Trees Rely on Honey Bees and Wild Pollinators, but a Lack of Good Habitat is Making Their Job Harder
- At COP26, a Consensus That Developing Nations Need Far More Help Countering Climate Change
- In 2018, the California AG Created an Environmental Justice Bureau. It’s Become a Trendsetter
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Elon Musk takes the witness stand to defend his Tesla buyout tweets
- Colorado woman dies after 500-foot fall while climbing at Rocky Mountain National Park
- 4 ways around a debt ceiling crisis — and why they might not work
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- How Capturing Floodwaters Can Reduce Flooding and Combat Drought
Ranking
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Q&A: A Republican Congressman Hopes to Spread a New GOP Engagement on Climate from Washington, D.C. to Glasgow
- NTSB head warns of risks posed by heavy electric vehicles colliding with lighter cars
- Tom Brady, Justin Timberlake and More Stars Celebrate Father's Day 2023
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- In a Dry State, Farmers Use Oil Wastewater to Irrigate Their Fields, but is it Safe?
- Maps show flooding in Vermont, across the Northeast — and where floods are forecast to continue
- Inside Clean Energy: An Energy Snapshot in 5 Charts
Recommendation
Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
PGA Tour says U.S. golf would likely struggle without Saudi cash infusion
A chat with the president of the San Francisco Fed
Al Pacino and More Famous Men Who Had Children Later in Life
San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
Twitter auctioned off office supplies, including a pizza oven and neon bird sign
Bridgerton Unveils First Look at Penelope and Colin’s Glow Up in “Scandalous” Season 3
New York’s Right to ‘a Healthful Environment’ Could Be Bad News for Fossil Fuel Interests