00:00A major storm caused by a phenomenon called an atmospheric river is heading to Southern California and leading to evacuation orders in some areas.
00:11Several hour period of some consistent rainfall and heavy at times.
00:16That storm is expected to bring significant rainfall to Southern California and could cause even more significant issues.
00:23The system will likely bring the heaviest rainfall to SoCal this year.
00:26It's that atmospheric river, it's that extra moisture that's coming in that's going to make this like a really, it's going to be a really big rain event.
00:32I mean, Southern California hasn't had a storm like this, I mean, since probably the beginning of the year.
00:39What exactly is an atmospheric river?
00:41Out in the Pacific Ocean, I mean, there's still weather happening out there, right?
00:45Cold air, hot air.
00:46So you'll still get moisture that kind of bubbles up to the surface.
00:50And then what happens is, is the westerly winds, right?
00:52So that's why when you fly from the West Coast to the East Coast, it's faster than the East to the West, right?
00:57The westerly winds come in and they drag that, they drag that air, they drag the air and the moisture.
01:02And it's basically just a movement of air, of air pushing along moisture.
01:06Evacuation orders went into effect in several parts of SoCal, including many parts of Los Angeles.
01:11The massive L.A. fires earlier this year are now calls for concern because of this pending storm.
01:22Those fires loosen up the terrain, which can cause issues during a major rainfall.
01:27Mudslides, you know, obviously we've got, especially in the L.A. area, you've got a lot of hillsides that can come down really quickly.
01:34Cliffs, I mean, you know, all the way up and down the coast.
01:37People really do need to heed those warnings because they're trying to save your life.
01:40So if you hear about something, if it pops on the TV or, you know, just stay vigilant over the next few days.
01:46And that's not the only concern from the fires and rain combination.
01:49Who knows what toxic crap is just sitting on those lots?
01:53I mean, I know, I know they cleaned a lot of them, but I don't think they've gotten all of them.
01:57There could be some really dangerous toxic runoff, like coming from the Palisades, coming from Altadena.
02:02The rain is expected to stick around throughout the weekend.
02:05From what I've read this afternoon is probably like late Friday, probably until like all day Saturday, probably a little bit of Sunday.
02:12And then it looks like there's another system.
02:14We'll get like a break Monday, Tuesday, then another one for the middle of next week.
02:18So really, really going to be a rainy, you know, 10 days or so for Southern California.
02:23One positive experts pointed to is that this rain will likely mark the end of fire season in SoCal.
02:30For Straight Arrow News, I'm Lauren Keenan.
02:32If you want more on this story, download the Straight Arrow News app or visit SAN.com.
Be the first to comment