Cars and trucks struggled to make their way through about 2 feet of standing water after heavy downpours flooded a portion of the 710 Freeway in Long Beach Thursday.
The water was flowing through the freeway’s northbound and southbound lanes beneath the Pacific Coast Highway overpass.
“It goes up to the grills of some of these trucks … for the smaller cars, it’s a real challenge to get through this water,” KTLA reporter Eric Spillman said. “I’m surprised that they are not stalling out.”
The flooded portion of the 710 Freeway is part of a major trucking route to and from the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
Clogged storm drains are likely to blame for the excessive water in that area of the freeway, which has been prone to flooding in the past.
Most of the rain collected quickly, beginning around 8:30 a.m. when a cell sat over the Long Beach area.
A flash flood warning was issued at that time for Long Beach, Palos Verdes, Torrance, Port of Los Angeles, Carson and Harbor City, according to the National Weather Service. The warning will stay in effect until 11:15 a.m.
Rain rates between 1 and 1.5 inches per hour were observed, the weather service said.
Floodwaters Thursday also forced officials to close a portion of Pacific Coast Highway through Huntington Beach.
The flooding comes as the first of two powerful storms dumps rain on Southern California.
Thursday’s storm is expected to drop between 1 and 3 inches of rain along Southern California’s coasts and valleys with up to 5 inches falling in the foothills.
A second, even stronger storm, is forecast to arrive late Sunday and bring multiple days of rain.