Update, 3:28 p.m.: Malibu’s rainfall totals as of 3:28 p.m. Monday, Oct. 25:
Malibu Canyon: 1.40 inches
Malibu Hills: 1.04 inches
Topanga: 0.58 inches
A total of 41 Southern California Edison customers were reported without power as of 3:30 p.m.
A major rainstorm from the Pacific Northwest was battering Malibu on Monday, Oct. 25, dumping a reported 1.32 inches in Malibu Canyon, according to rainfall totals from the National Weather Service (NWS), as of 12:56 p.m.
A flood advisory was in effect for Los Angeles County through 4:15 p.m. Monday.
“Rainfall rates between 0.25 and 0.50 inches per hour will be common, with local rates up to 0.75 inches per hour across foothills and mountains. This will cause roadway flooding as well as the potential for minor mud and debris flows in recent burn areas,” the NWS advisory read. “Turn around, don’t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles.”
A high surf advisory was also in effect until 3 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 27, with “large breaking waves of 6 to 10 feet with dangerous rip currents,” predicted.
Power was out Monday afternoon to an estimated 25 Southern California Edison customers in Malibu, according to the utility company’s outage map. The cause of the outages was listed as “equipment problems” for five customers and “pole upgrade” for the other 20. Earlier in the day, just before 11 a.m., the City of Malibu reported 60 customers were without power due to a “transformer explosion” that knocked out power to the Serra Retreat neighborhood.
Traffic on Malibu’s canyon roads was affected due to minor rockslides, with slowdowns on Malibu Canyon Road near the tunnel and Encinal Canyon Road above Fire Camp 13, both due to debris/boulders in the roadway, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The NWS reported the following 24-hour rainfall totals as of 1 p.m. Monday:
Malibu Canyon: 1.32 inches
Malibu Hills: 0.89 inches
Topanga: 0.39 inches
The storm was expected to continue into the afternoon, tapering off around 4 p.m.