Oct. 06--Health officials are warning beachgoers to avoid swimming near storm drains and rivers that spill into the ocean because recent rainfall likely caused bacteria-laden runoff to enter the water.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued a rain advisory for all county beaches until 7 a.m. Friday. Beach areas away from discharging storm drains and creeks are exempt from the advisory.
"There is a possibility bacterium or chemicals from debris and trash could contaminate the water near and around discharge sites, and individuals who enter the water in these areas could become ill," the department said in a statement.
The scattered showers that brought brief but heavy rain to parts of Southern California on Monday broke at least two daily rainfall records, according to the National Weather Service.
The Santa Barbara Airport received .41 inches of rainfall, breaking the record of .08 inches set in 1963, and the National Weather Service office in Oxnard got .28 inches of rain, breaking the record of .20 inches set in 1994.
The thunderstorms developed quickly Monday afternoon, causing some roads to flood and snarling traffic during the evening commute.
Rainfall has been variable over the Los Angeles region. Over the past two days, Opids Camp, about 3,500 feet above Pasadena in the Angeles National Forest, has gotten 1.96 inches of rain, and La Verne has received 1.26 inches. Meanwhile, the Eagle Rock Reservoir got .79 inches over the past two days, and the Van Nuys Airport got .05 inches.
But the storms and cooler weather are not here to stay.
The precipitation was the last bit of rain from a low-pressure system that is being pushed east. It will be replaced by a strong high-pressure system moving in from the ocean that will bring hot weather throughout the weekend, said Stuart Seto, a weather specialist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
Temperatures are expected to reach above-normal levels Wednesday and keep rising. Even the overnight temperatures are expected to be about 10 degrees above normal, Seto said.
Temperatures in the San Fernando Valley are expected to hit triple digits over the weekend and reach the mid-90s in downtown Los Angeles and even at the beaches, Seto said. Pasadena is expected to see 99-degree heat on Saturday and Sunday, he said.
Things should start to gradually cool off late Sunday as the high-pressure system weakens, and there are early indications that a low-pressure system could move into the area from the southwest early next week, bring cooler temperatures and clouds, Seto said.
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