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Politics & Government

Weather Service Issues Flood Warning

Saturday's downpour could accumulate upwards of three quarters of an inch of rain in the San Gabriel Valley.

Rain and snow moved into Southern California today, as heavy winter weather arrived one week before spring starts. 

The National Weather Service has issued a flood advisory for La Cañada, La Crescenta, Sierra Madre, Lake View Terrace, Tuijunga and Sunland. The advisory is in effect until until 12:15 p.m. 

A storm front, described as ``vigorous'' by the National Weather Service, arrived as the morning broke. Heavy rain hit the Station Fire burn area, but county flood experts said mudflows from fire-scarred mountainsides were not expected.

Find out what's happening in Glendorawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But the rain and cold will bedevil the Los Angeles Marathon for the second straight year. Sunday's race will be run in what forecasters expect to be a cold rain, and ponchos and garbage bags will be passed out to runners in hopes of avoiding the dozens of cases of hypothermia that affected runners last year.

Snow was falling Saturday down to the 6,000-foot level, and forced . Overnight winds were strong, too. Gusts topped 52 miles per hour at Topanga, 56 mph at Lake Palmdale, and even higher in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Find out what's happening in Glendorawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Today's high in Glendora is 58 degrees with gusts of wind as high as 25 mph.

The late-winter storm hit a Southland that is running well behind its normal precipitation ration of 15 inches per year. The total rainfall at the downtown station since July 1 has only been 5.2 inches . Up to 1-1/2 inches of rain could fall in Los Angeles by the time the storm passes to the east on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

Most of the rain should fall today, and gusts up to 40 mph are possible after the storm front passes. Hail and thunderstorms are possible around the metro area, and snow levels could drop to about 2,500 and affect traffic along the Grapevine section of Interstate 5 near the Tejon Pass, which tops out at 4,160 feet. More than a foot of snow is expected at the local resorts.

``Anyone planning to travel into the mountains and deserts this weekend should be prepared for the possibility of winter-weather driving conditions. This weather could be deadly for unprepared campers or hikers,'' the NWS said.

Angeles Forest Highway and Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road were closed through Angeles National Forest, according to county Department of Public Works. Angeles Forest Highway also will be closed between Aliso Canyon Road and Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road, and Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road was closed as well.

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