A blustery storm brought scattered flooding and traffic accidents to Southern California roads on Monday while snow fell in the mountains. Rainfall was moderate to locally heavy, the National Weather Service said.

Long Beach so far Monday had received 1.47 inches of rain (precipitation is measured at Long Beach Airport), according to the NWS.

Los Angeles County health officials issued a beach water use advisory Monday, urging people to avoid swimming in the ocean near discharging drains and creeks as rain water sent debris and other potentially hazardous materials cascading to the coast.

The advisory will remain in effect until at least 7:30 a.m. Thursday for beaches throughout the county, although with more rain in the forecast for Christmas Day and beyond, the advisory will likely be extended.

In Long Beach, all recreational beaches and bays should be avoided for three days following the end of the rainstorm, health officials advised Monday after heavy rain overnight.

Meanwhile on Monday a transient was rescued with only minor injuries after being trapped for 30 minutes when a huge tree fell in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles. The Fire Department noted there was wind and rain in the area but could not say whether the tree toppled due to the storm. The tree also damaged a residential building and utility wires. Winter weather advisories were issued for the interior mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, where a foot more of snow was expected at elevations above 7,000 feet (2,134 meters) and lesser amounts down to 5,000 feet (1,524 meters).

Additional snow accumulations were expected through the day in the Sierra Nevada.

A dense fog advisory was in effect through late morning in the Sacramento Valley and the northern San Joaquin Valley, and meteorologists were watching pockets of low clouds and fog in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the next storm system was expected late Tuesday night.

Southern California will be dry on Christmas Eve, and despite a problematic forecast, another storm was expected on Christmas Day, the weather service said. Snow levels could fall low enough to accumulate in the mountain passes, potentially bringing problems for travelers.

Information on beach conditions is available 24 hours a day on the county’s beach closure hotline, 800-525-5662, and online at PublicHealth.LACounty.gov/Beach/. Information on Long Beach’s water quality can be found at 562-570-4199.

City News Service contributed to this report.