(Jan. 22, 2010) -- It was nowhere near Hurricane Katrina but had some of the same ingredients: a storm beyond human control with effects amplified in some parts of town by human actions and/or mechanical failings.
NWS Doppler Radar as seen on LBReport.com, Jan 19, 12:52 p.m.
In this report, LBReport.com documents -- minute by minute -- the magnitude of the deluge LB experienced during the recent three-storm-series (Jan. 19, 20 and 21). It was bigger and more intense than has been detailed elsewhere to date.
LBReport.com was first to show that flooding in two areas of the city -- the Wilson High School area and the Atherton/Palo Verde/CSULB area -- was likely the result of or worsened by human actions and/or mechanical failings.
Now we detail the deluge using data from the National Weather Service monitor at LB Airport just north of Spring St and west of the Runway 30 tunnel.
LBReport.com advised our readers of the intense Jan. 19 storm cell (that would become a Tornado-Watch) as it bore down on LB before it hit. The next day, we advised our readers of another major storm cell heading toward LB before it delivered an even more drenching downpour.
Now we document what happened.
Jan. 19, 2010
LBReport.com readers saw a powerful storm cell on LBReport.com's front page via National Weather Service Doppler Radar, seemingly heading toward an area between Palos Verdes and western Long Beach but possibly trending eastward.
LBReport.com moved advisories via Facebook and Twitter (11:20 a.m.) and email (11:28 a.m.):
For years (and despite snickering by others), LBReport.com has stubbornly reported LB weather in detail (frost, heat, wind and rain). We were first to report and photograph the aftermath of a small tornado that felled trees in ELB a few years ago. We also regularly report solar eclipses, Space Station/Space Shuttle pass-bys and the like. Others think that's funny. We think it's newsworthy.
So it wasn't by accident that LBReport.com's front page had an enlarged NWS Doppler image prominently on our front page -- www.lbreport.com.
Rain began slowly entering the 12 noon hour...and within minutes the intense storm cell hit:
From 11:53 a.m. to 12:03 p.m., .06" of rain were recorded within 10 minutes.
From 12:03 p.m. to 12:17 p.m., 0.10" more were recorded within 14 minutes.
From 12:17 p.m. to 12:34 p.m., 0.26" more were recorded within 17 minutes.
At 12:36 p.m., the National Weather Service issued a Tornado Warning, which LBReport.com put in red letters on our front page:
TORNADO WARNING
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OXNARD CA
1236 PM PST TUE JAN 19 2010
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN OXNARD HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR...SOUTH CENTRAL LOS ANGELES COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA...THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF LONG BEACH...* UNTIL 115 PM PST
From 12:34 p.m. to 12:46 p.m., .28" more were recorded within 12 minutes
From 12:46 p.m. to 12:53 p.m., .14" more were recorded within 6 minutes
From 12:53 p.m. to 1:08 p.m., .41" more were recorded within 15 minutes
From 1:08 p.m. to 1:13 p.m., 0.8" more were recorded within five minutes
And then it stopped...for about forty minutes...during which the sun began peaking through.
Some totals:
Between 11:53 a.m. and 12:53 p.m., .84" of rain fell....68" of which came within a 36 minute period between 12:17 p.m. and 12:53 p.m.
That was followed by .49" more within 20 minutes (between 12:53 p.m. and 1:13 p.m.)
Within an eighty minute period between 11:53 a.m. and 1:13 p.m., LB received 1.33" of rain recorded at LB Airport.
Jan. 20, 2010
At 12:27 p.m., LBReport.com (again) moved an email advisory and Facebook and Twitter dispatches: "NWS Doppler Radar on LBReport.com shows a band of heavy rain approaching LB from the west (approx. 12:25 p.m.)..." And at 1:51, we sent an additional Facebook and Twitter dispatch: "Updated NWS Doppler radar shows larger band of heavy rain heading into LB from SW to NE (approx. 1:50 p.m.)"
Again, we had an enlarged NWS Dopper Weather Radar image on our front page, so LBReport.com readers saw it coming. .17" of rain had fallen in the hour between 1:53 p.m. and 2:53 p.m...and then the storm cell arrived:
NWS Doppler Radar as seen on LBReport.com, Jan 20, 3:43 p.m.
Between 2:53 p.m. and 3:28 p.m., .15" were recorded within 35 minutes
Bewteen 3:28 p.m. and 3:33 p.m., .16" more were recorded within 6 minutes
Between 3:33 p.m. and 3:45 p.m., 1.04" more were recorded within 12 minutes
Between 3:45 p.m. and 3:53 p.m., .19" more were recorded within 8 minutes
Within a one hour period between 2:53 p.m. and 3:53 p.m., a staggering 1.54" of rain fell (recorded at LB Airport).
And the rain continued:
Between 3:53 p.m. and 4:53 p.m., .23" more were recorded
Between 4:53 p.m. and 5:53 p.m., .30" more were recorded
The bottom line: in the three hour period between 2:53 p.m. and 5:53 p.m., LB received 2.07" of rain.
Further
Rainfall on Thursday, Jan. 21 was expected to be bigger, but wasn't. Although still respectable by normal LB standards, it was eclipsed by what had taken place during the previous two days.
Between 10:53 a.m. and 11:53 a.m., .11 inches of rain fell
Between 11:53 a.m. and 12:53 p.m., .15 inches of rain fell
As of Friday, Jan. 22, for the 168 period (which covers the start of the storm series that began on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 17), LB was recorded as receiving 5.99" of rain.
