Long Beach got a record-breaking amount of rain Sunday as the region braced for the continued deluge that was causing dangerous flooding in many areas.
An inch and a half of rain fell on Long Beach Airport on Feb. 4, more than doubling the old record that was set in 1975, according to the National Weather Service. Some areas of the city got up to four inches, according to meteorologist Rich Thompson in the NWS in Los Angeles.
The downpour stayed steady Monday morning, with the city expected to get one to two more inches by the time the storm passed, according to Thompson.
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“The atmospheric river remains stalled over LA County,” he said, adding that continuous rain is expected through tomorrow before it tapers off Tuesday evening. Light showers are forecast Wednesday through Friday.
On Monday afternoon, the weather service said the risk of flooding had lowered in many areas since the storm’s peak last night, but remained for Los Angeles County, where a flood watch will be in effect until Tuesday at 4 p.m.
The storm hit Long Beach about as hard as expected, Thompson said, but so far, local officials hadn’t reported any catastrophic flooding in the city. However, there were dozens of reports about downed trees including a large one on the campus of Long Beach Poly High School.
Five cars and at least one home were damaged by falling trees, according to the Long Beach Fire Department. Nobody was injured, LBFD Capt. Jake Heflin said. Palm fronds and other debris were scattered on many roadways, especially Second Street and Ocean Boulevard, Heflin said.
The storm also appeared to wreak havoc on the region’s sewage system, sending five million gallons of sewage flowing downriver and into Long Beach’s coastal waters, according to the city.
In response to the downpour, Cal State Long Beach and Long Beach City College both took steps to keep people off campus and move Monday classes online. Long Beach Unified campuses are open. The school district urged parents to drive carefully and keep in touch with individual schools for updates.
CSULB and LBCC said students should check Canvas or contact instructors for more information. LBCC said it was also closing all in-person services at its campuses. CSULB said its campus would remain open but it was shifting as many services and classes as possible online.
The move came shortly after Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles County and seven other counties on Sunday as the massive winter storm rolled into Southern California. The declaration allows state resources, like the California National Guard, to help local agencies respond to the storm if necessary.
Long Beach officials urged residents to be cautious when traveling and encouraged people to stay home if possible and prepare for possible flooding, power outages or evacuations.