According to the National Weather Service in Oxnard, Tropical Storm Hilary broke daily precipitation records across Southern California in just one day, replacing a normally mild August day with many, many inches of rain.
Daily precipitation records are usually quite low at this time of year, Weather Service meteorologist Rich Thompson said. Sunday's rainfall far exceeded precipitation records for any August 20 since the Weather Service began recording the data in 1877, he said.
“Chances are you're going to see the same thing today,” Thompson said Monday morning. “The numbers won't be quite as impressive in terms of record breaking. Yesterday we just smashed them up in LA and Ventura counties and just wiped them out!”
It rained 2.99 inches in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, far beating the previous record of 0.03 inches. Los Angeles International Airport reached 2.54 inches and Long Beach Airport reported 2.62 inches, compared to previous records of “one lane” of rain, Thompson said. Burbank got 3.28 inches, compared to its previous record of 0.01 inches, and Palmdale got 3.93 inches, compared to 0.05 inches.
Southern California's mountains also set records with an impressive 8.56 inches at Mt. Wilson, according to the weather service. Other record-breaking totals were reported at Lewis Ranch, where 7.04 inches of rain were recorded; Leona Valley and Crystal Lake both recorded 6.97 inches; and Mt. Baldy was 5.84 inches.
Here are some other precipitation records:
LA County coast and metropolitan area
- Hollywood Reservoir: 4.92 inches
- Beverly Hills: 4.8 inches
- Leo Carrillo: 4.39 inches
- Bel Air: 4.14 inches
- Culver City: 3.65 inches
- Santa Monica: 3.56 inches
- Redondo Beach: 2.47 inches
- Hawthorn: 2.24 inches
San Fernando Valley
- Van Nuys: 4.7 inches
- La Canada Flintridge: 4.52 inches
- Northridge: 4.47 inches
- Calabasas: 3.98 inches
- Porter ranch: 3.96 inches
- Agoura Hills: 3.95 inches
- San Rafael Hills: 3.81 inches
- Burbank: 3.56 inches
- Canoga Park: 3.51 inches
- Chatsworth Reservoir: 3.02 inches
- Hansen Dam: 2.29 inches
San Gabriel Valley
- Morris Dam: 5.76 inches
- East Pasadena; 5.74 inches
- Eagle Rock Reservoir: 4.7 inches
- Sierra Madre: 4.45 inches
- Claremont: 4.04 inches
- La Verne: 4.01 inches
- Alhambra: 3.6 inches
- Whittier: 2.81 inches
- Pasadena: 2.4 inches
- Mt. Olive High School, Duarte: 1.96 inches
Santa Clarita Valley
- Suction: 6.46 inches
- Newhall: 5.71 inches
- Castaic Junction: 5.47 inches
- Del Valle: 5.26 inches
- Castaic: 4.51 inches
