As a storm heads to the Southland tonight, National Weather Service forecasters are expecting rain in coastal areas, including Pacific Palisades.
Forecasters said the Pacific storm could bring as much as 1 to 2 inches of rain to L.A.’s coastal and valley areas, and 2 to 4 inches to the foothills and mountains.
In anticipation of the rain, L.A. Department of Water and Power officials are urging all customers to turn off their sprinklers and other outdoor irrigation systems, and to leave them off, officials said in a statement.
“Please shut them off, and leave them off until the ground dries – at least 5 -10 days after a storm,” said Marty Adams, LADWP’s Deputy Senior Assistant General Manager of the Water System in a news release. “There’s nothing more wasteful than running sprinklers during or after it rains, and there’s no easier way to save water and money than to shut your sprinklers off.”
DWP officials said that about 40-60 percent of L.A.’s drinking water is used for outdoors for irrigation, and each L.A. resident uses approximately 89 gallons a day.
Mayor Eric Garcetti recently called L.A. residents on to reduce water use by 20 percent by 2017, and conserving water during the winter season helps the city achieve this goal.
Forecasters said in the NWS statement the rainfall could produce the possibility of dangerous flash flooding and debris flows in recent burn areas of Ventura and Los Angeles counties, according to the NWS.
NWS authorities say the storm, while shorter than last week’s rain event, could bring more rain to the region.
The storm is expected to bring high surf to areas along the coast, with swells reaching the outer waters this afternoon and spreading. A high surf advisory will take effect tonight and remain in force through Saturday for beaches in L.A., including Will Rogers State Beach.
–REZA GOSTAR and WIRE REPORTS
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