The widespread rain over Southern California has caused severe flooding and has also broken old rainfall records. Belen De Leon reports for Today in LA on March 15, 2023.
What to Know
- Downtown LA saw a rainfall record Tuesday with its 24th highest single-day rain total on record in March.
- This is now the 14th-wettest water year for downtown Los Angeles on record at 23.99 inches.
- The storm that arrived Tuesday is the latest in a series of February and March systems fueled by an atmospheric river.
A storm that produced steady and sometimes heavy rain Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday broke Los Angeles-area rainfall records that have stood for decades.
The system fueled by a large plume of moisture over the Pacific Ocean drew moisture into Southern California that came down in the form of overnight downpours in some areas.
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"This storm has already broken rainfall records and we're not done yet," said NBC4 forecaster Belen De Leon.
At Los Angeles International Airport 1.97 inches of rain fell Tuesday -- the sixth highest one-day total on record in March. Downtown LA also saw a rainfall record with the 24th highest single-day rain total on record in March.
The storm that arrived Tuesday is the latest in a series of February and March systems fueled by an atmospheric river. Downtown Los Angeles received 3.15 inches of rain in March as of Tuesday. That's well above the average of 2.23 inches for the entire month of March.
This is now the 14th-wettest water year for downtown Los Angeles on record at 23.99 inches. California's water year starts in October with most of the state's annual precipitation occurring during winter months, including snow that blankets the Sierra Nevada Mountains -- the state's natural water reservoir.
With another half-inch of rain, 2023 would become downtown LA's 12th-wettest water year.
More rain is expected Wednesday afternoon before the storm moves out.
Los Angeles Area Storm Rainfall Totals
These two-day rainfall totals (inches) were updated Wednesday at 4 a.m. Updated figures and more locations are available here.
- San Gabriel Dam: 3.70
- Santa Anita Dam: 3.19
- Porter Ranch: 3.14
- Morris Dam (San Gabriel Valley): 2.97
- La Verne: 2.91
- Bel Air: 2.82
- Culver City: 2.75
- LAX: 2.73
- Claremont: 2.67
- Santa Fe Dam: 2.62
- Downtown LA: 2.51
- Hawthorne: 2.50
- Santa Monica: 2.50
- East Pasadena: 2.47
- Alhambra: 2.42
- Whittier: 2.28
- La Canada Flintridge: 2.38
- Leo Carrillo: 2.27
- Eagle Rock Reservoir: 2.25
- Avalon Harbor: 2.25
- Northridge: 2.21
- Chatsworth Reservoir: 2.19
- Sepulveda Canyon at Mulholland: 2.18
- Castaic: 2.13
- Woodland Hills: 2.10
- Hollywood Reservoir: 2.08
LA Rainfall Records for March 14
Note: Previous record and year are in parentheses.
- Santa Barbara Airport: 2.54 inches (1.36, 1952)
- Oxnard: 2.25 inches (1.46, 1930)
- Camarillo Airport: 2.04 inches (1.46, 1930)
- LAX: 1.97 inches (0.43, 1982)
- Downtown LA: 1.89 inches (1.74, 1930)
- Santa Maria Airport: 1.63 inches (0.68, 1910)
- Long Beach Airport: 1.53 inches (0.63, 1982)
- Paso Robles Airport: 1.27 inches (0.75, 1958)
More records are possible Wednesday due in part to overnight rain that caused flooding on several roads, stranding drivers in rising water.
The chance of rain dips to 20 percent through midday, but there is a 50 percent chance of rain early Wednesday afternoon. Scattered showers are possible throughout the region.
