February Begins With ‘Atmospheric River’ in Pacific Palisades, 10-Plus Inches of Rain

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

The month of February began with two storms in Pacific Palisades—bringing more than 10 inches of rain to the area so far.

The bigger storm, described as a “slow-moving atmospheric river,” which began Sunday, February 4, brought 7.89 inches of rain to the Palisades by Tuesday evening, February 6, at 5 p.m., according to Craig Weston, who tracks rain and weather from the Huntington.

Including the storm at the end of the previous week, the total rainfall for the Palisades in February so far reached 10.8 inches. The yearly total—measured from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024—was 21.44 inches as of Tuesday, with four and a half months remaining.

“We average roughly 15 inches per year,” Weston explained, “so well above that now.”

The bigger storm brought 13.2 inches of rain to Topanga, as measured at Topanga Canyon Fire Station 69, according to a map provided by Ventura County Public Works, while the Sepulveda Dam saw 12.97 inches. Bel Air Hotel measured 12.82 inches, 9.03 inches in Beverly Hills and 9.59 inches in Malibu Hills.

By Sunday afternoon, February 4, Governor Gavin Newsom had declared a state of emergency in eight Southern California counties, including Los Angeles.

A flash flood warning, issued by National Weather Service Los Angeles, was in place through February 5 at 9 p.m. A flood watch was then in place through February 7 at 1 a.m., according to National Weather Service.

At the peak of the storm, there were several reports of flooded streets. There were also reports of fallen trees, including on Alma Real Drive (which fell near Palisades Car Wash on February 2) and Toyopa Drive, where a large tree fell onto a home across from Corpus Christi Church.

“In case you are wondering, given all of the rain, how Will Rogers State Historic Park is doing, we learned that only one tree has fallen,” Temescal Canyon Association wrote in a post shared on social media February 5. “This was a eucalyptus tree that fell on the roping area … Will Rogers State Park Road is currently blocked, and only residents and park workers are allowed through.”

Several parklands in the area were closed as of Monday, February 5, including Temescal Gateway Park in the Palisades, Franklin Canyon Park, Mill Creek and others.

Over the course of the storm, several roads were closed intermittently—including a portion of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Malibu Canyon Road, prompting the closure of schools in Malibu, while most Los Angeles Unified School District campuses remained open.

Sunset Boulevard was closed to westbound traffic between Rustic Lane and Chautauqua Boulevard as of Monday evening, February 5, according to information shared by Councilmember Traci Park.

Pacific Coast Highway was closed in both directions in Ventura County between Las Posas Road and Sycamore Canyon Road by Caltrans due to “a right lane shoulder that has been partially washed out from storm-related erosion.” The highway was anticipated to reopen by Tuesday morning, February 6.

The rain was expected to continue through Wednesday, February 7, which had a 40% chance of rain at print time. No additional rain was forecasted through Sunday, February 11, with temperatures to reach highs in the mid 50s to low 60s, and lows in the low 40s.

The last major storm to hit the Palisades—Tropical Storm Hilary in August 2023—brought almost four inches of rain in two days.

“The Huntington Palisades received 3.88 inches of rain from Tropical Storm Hilary on August 20 through August 21,” Weston said at the time. He called the storm—the first tropical storm to hit Southern California since 1939—a “very rare event.” At its peak, Hilary was reported to be a category 4 hurricane, bringing rain and wind to the Baja California Peninsula before making its way to the Southwestern United States.