Region Gets More Rain in 1 Morning Than It's Had All Year

A low-pressure system suffused with moisture from former tropical cyclone Linda unleashed heavy rain on the Southland today, producing much more precipitation than forecasters had expected and wreaking havoc with the morning commute.

Dozens of accidents clogged Orange County freeways as heavy rain forced road closures in Newport Beach and the canyon areas, triggering heavy mud flow in the Modjeska and Silverado Canyon areas.

In South County, the Avenida Pico off-ramp from southbound I-5 has closed down to one lane so crews can clean up mud and debris because of rain.

Orange County sheriff’s deputies are assisting the Orange County Fire Authority and California Highway Patrol with a mud flow situation in Silverado Canyon. Authorities are reporting three small debris flows -- the largest is 15 feet wide and 2 feet deep covering Silverado Canyon Road. A stretch of Modjeska Canyon Road has been closed due to gravel and debris caused by today’s heavy rain.

The first major storm brought double the expected amount of rainfall, setting records in some parts of the Southland.

Fire officials say nearly 2 inches of rain has fallen in the Modjeska Canyon area in the past 24 hours. Elsewhere, Seal Beach received nearly an inch and a half of rain, and further north, rainfall easily blew past previous records. By 8 a.m., a whopping 2.6 inches of rain had fallen in downtown Los Angeles and 2.26 in Culver City, said National Weather Service meteorologist Robbie Munroe from his monitoring station in Oxnard, adding that forecasters had been expecting lower totals. The downtown total was a record for a September 15 and more rain than has fallen in the region all year.

The Newport Beach Police Department closed off a portion of Newport Boulevard at Pacific Coast Highway for three hours Tuesday morning because of flooding.

The first major storm of the season led to flooding in the area as drains struggled to cope with larger than expected downpours. The roadway was closed through the morning commute from the 5 a.m. hour to shortly after 8 a.m.

“We got a couple calls from citizens who were having trouble navigating because of the amount of water in the road,” said Jennifer Manzella, spokeswoman for the Newport Beach Police Department.

One call came from a man driving a four by four, and even he had trouble with the level of water, said Manzella.

“It appears that the drains were just having a hard time coping with the amount the rainfall we had,” she said.

City News Service and Patch staffer contributed to this report.