New Year's Day downpour floods Southern California highways

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A rare Jan.1 rainstorm drenched Southern California, triggering slides and major road closures across the Los Angeles area, as well as swift water rescues on San Diego roadways.Flooding of the 5 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley prompted Caltrans to shut down all lanes between Tuxford Street and Lankershim Boulevard for several hours, while a mudslide closed Big Tujunga Canyon Road in Angeles National Forest between the Angeles Forest Highway and Vogel Flat Road — just the latest in a long list of county road closures due to flooding and slides since Dec.

24.In San Diego, emergency crews worked to rescue motorists who found themselves trapped on flooded roadways Thursday.

“Our swiftwater rescue teams are actively working to rescue individuals stuck in their cars along Fashion Valley Rd & Riverwalk Dr.,” read a statement from the San Diego Fire Department around 10 a.m.“Stay safe, SD.

Please avoid the area & never walk or drive through floodwaters.” California Despite the cold and rain, thousands of spectators filled the sidelines of the 137th Rose Parade route in Pasadena to celebrate the start of 2026.A San Diego Police Department spokesman said a man and his young daughter were caught in their blue Jeep by deep, fast-moving water and rescued without incident by San Diego Fire-Rescue emergency crews.The storm, which the National Weather Service described as “very juicy,” began around 3:45 a.m.Thursday.

By 10 a.m.it had dumped 1.21 inches of rain on east Pasadena and downtown Los Angeles had received 1.33 inches, according to the weather service.Typically, New Year’s Day is rain-free in the Los Angeles area.

According to the National Weather Service, rain has fallen on just 10% of all New Year’s Days between 1878 and 2025.The record for the holiday was in 1934, when it rained 3.12 inches in Pasadena.

That was also the year Los Angeles received mor...