Tropical Storm Kay – transitioned into a “post-tropical cyclone” – dropped heavy rains over Southern California Friday night into Saturday morning, but the damage was minimal, with some minor flooding and toppled trees.

The storm also knocked out power for thousands of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers Saturday as the utility scheduled additional field crews, the utility tweeted.

Power was also reported out for some residents in San Bernardino throughout the night.

In Long Beach, the fire department, partnering with a volunteer Community Emergency Response Team and a search and rescue group, filled sandbags and shuffled sand to create a berm to keep the high tides from reaching homes and streets, officials said.

Two homes had minor water intrusions and minor flooding occurred on a few streets, but no major damage was reported, fire officials said. The water breached the berm in various sections, but crews quickly repaired those areas.

In nearby Seal Beach, restaurant owners Brian Kyle and Rosie Ritchie arrived to find a muddy parking lot with six inches of water at the Beach House in Seal Beach, they told CBS Los Angeles. The restaurant was under construction and was set for a grand opening in a couple of weeks, the station reported.

In Monrovia, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works issued a potential minor to moderate mud and debris flow forecast in the neighborhood of Ridgeside Drive and Oakglade Drive, city officials said Friday.

The city installed 1,700 feet of K-Rail between the neighborhood and Monrovia Canyon Park in February 2021 following the Bobcat fire in an effort to keep debris and mudflows from reaching homes, officials said. Both county and city public works departments planned to respond to any reported mud and debris flows.

Elsewhere, fallen trees were reported in Whittier and San Clemente, where residents took to Facebook with photos of two long-standing palm trees that had broken at T-Street Beach due to the winds Friday morning.

A post-tropical cyclone no longer possesses significant tropical characteristics, but it still can carry heavy rains and high winds, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters expect that to continue on Saturday, with a flood watch in effect through the evening in the Los Angeles County mountains and the Antelope Valley as well as the mountain regions of San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Anyone visiting a beach is urged to be cautious, as areas near storm drains, creeks and rivers can be contaminated with bacteria, chemicals and debris after heavy rain. In Los Angeles County, an advisory is in effect until 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Related Articles