The rains came amid a second day of showers and thunderstorms in southern and central California that were setting rainfall records in what is usually a dry month.
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“Forecasters expect patches of rain and some heavy downpours through Monday as the remnants of a tropical storm off Baja California continued to stream north, producing the kind of sticky weather more akin to Houston than midsummer in Los Angeles”. It collapsed Sunday during heavy rains, indefinitely severing a major artery between Southern California and Arizona. Saturday’s 0.36 inches of rainfall downtown broke the July 14, 1886, record of 0.24 inches – a almost 130-year record.
An Alaska Airlines jetliner was apparently struck by lightning after leaving Los Angeles global Airport, and was forced to return shortly after takeoff.
Muggy, moist conditions were expected to persist through Monday.
A 30-foot-by-50-foot part of the eastbound aspect of the 10 was washed away in the storm, and “the bridge is gone”, in response to the California Highway Patrol’s incident log.
The chairman of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors said today that the board intends to declare a local state of emergency as a result of the collapse of a section of Interstate 10 near Desert Center.
Caltrans spokeswoman Terri Kasinga said Sunday night that it means the interstate that serves as a main route between California and Arizona will stay shut down “completely and indefinitely”.
Firefighters responded to the scene and began a cut and rescue operation at 4:43 p.m. Sunday on the eastbound side of the freeway near the Tex Wash about a half mile east of Eagle Mountain, according to Jennifer Fuhrman of the Riverside County Fire Department.
Hundreds of other cars were stranded immediately after the collapse, but the California Highway Patrol worked to divert them.
“Oh my God, we are so stuck out here”, said 53-year-old Pamala Browne.
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