Saturday’s forecast includes a 50% chance of showers, possible thunderstorms and winds up to 25 mph with a flash flood watch in effect until 11 p.m. in the mountains of Los Angeles County and the Antelope Valley. “Moisture from Kai will move into the area today (Friday) and remain through Saturday,” according to the National Weather Service. “Showers and thunderstorms with periods of heavy rain at times will increase the risk of flooding, especially in the highlands. The heaviest rainfall is expected late (Friday) into Saturday night.” Forecasters said the rain could lead to excessive runoff resulting in “flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying and flood-prone areas.” Kay had been designated as a hurricane, but weakened as it made landfall Thursday night and then began moving northwest over the ocean. But Kay was still packing a punch, promising to bring widespread rain across the region. “Rainfall amounts should generally range from one-quarter to one-half inch for the coast, one-third to two-thirds of an inch for the valleys and one-half to one-half inch for the mountains,” according to the Weather Service. . “For the Antelope Valley, one-third to two-thirds of an inch is generally expected for the storm. Locally higher amounts could develop, especially with any thunderstorms. Heavy rainfall is possible in the mountains and desert, where the terrain will cause orographic effects which could increase rainfall’. The storm has already caused higher tides, raising concerns about localized flooding along the coast. In Long Beach, crews worked through the night to reinforce berms, while sandbags were made available to residents to help protect their properties from flooding. Long Beach fire and parks officials were focusing efforts on Alamitos Beach, setting up berms mainly between Fifth and Ninth Places. “High tide for Long Beach will be 9:16pm tonight,” the Long Beach Fire Department said on Twitter. “Please make efforts now to prepare your homes if you live in vulnerable locations along our coastline that are prone to flooding.” The Met Office warned that Cai would bring rough seas and gale-force easterly winds to coastal waters through Saturday. Gusty winds are expected in the Catalina and San Nicolas Islands, with gusts of 20 to 30 knots possible north of Point Conception and the Channel Islands. Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said sandbags are being made available to Catalina residents on the east side of South Beach. He noted that the storm “is expected to bring wind, high surf and coastal flooding to the island.” According to Hahn, Catalina Express canceled the departure at 5:45 p.m. from San Pedro to Avalon, as well as the 7:40 p.m. from Avalon to San Pedro and the 21:45 departure from Avalon to Long Beach. Copyright © 2022 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
