Grapevine and Highway 33 reopen after storm pummels Southern California

Snow closed Interstate 5 over the Grapevine for hours on Thursday and rain flooded a Malibu campground as a winter storm pummeled Southern California.

The system dropped record rainfall around the region Thursday, including in Oxnard and Camarillo, weather officials said.

The Grapevine was reopened around 4:40 p.m., traffic officials reported. It had been closed in both directions starting around 7 a.m. Thursday

In Ventura County, snow also closed Highway 33 from Wheeler Gorge to Lockwood Valley Road in the Los Padres National Forest. The closure was lifted Thursday evening.

The second winter storm of the week dumped more than six inches of rain on at least two Ventura County mountain sites as of 5 p.m. Thursday, according to a National Weather Service list of two-day totals. Rocky Peak saw 6.34 inches and Circle X Ranch just over 6. Regionally, the highest number was recorded at Cogswell Dam in the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County, where 8.8 inches fell.

Single-day rain records for Thursday were broken at many regional stations as of 6 p.m., according to preliminary weather service data. At the Camarillo Airport, 1.81 inches fell, breaking the former record for the date of 1.29 inches set in 1951.

In Oxnard, 2.03 inches were measured at the weather agency's office on Elevar Street, breaking the old record for the date, also from 1951, of 1.29 inches.

The Oxnard and Camarillo sites are the only two in Ventura County where historic data is tracked by the weather service as part of a regional suite that allows for quick comparisons across decades.

Some additional showers were expected Thursday night, which could push the new daily records even higher, the agency said.

Thursday's steady downpours forced evacuations and swept mud and rocks into lanes on the Pacific Coast Highway and Highway 23 in Malibu.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department reported around 50 people were rescued early Thursday morning after severe flooding at Leo Carrillo State Park on PCH near the Ventura-Los Angeles county line.

Fallen trees, power lines, debris and localized flooding also disrupted travel on local roads.

For hours on Thursday, weather-related problems closed Balcom Canyon Road between Bradley and South Mountain Roads. Highway 23 was closed in both directions between Pacific Coast Highway and Sycamore Canyon Road near the Ventura-Los Angeles county line.

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The California Highway Patrol had closed Mulholland Highway between Las Virgenes and Cornell roads in Los Angeles County because of mud and rocks in lanes.

Shortly before 1 p.m., Highway 118 closed between Price and Aggen roads near Somis after a semi-trailer got stuck on a cable, said CHP officer Francisco Navarro. Several utility poles fell down on the road, but no injuries were reported. All lanes had reopened before 3 p.m.

The storm dropped its heaviest rainfall overnight Wednesday into Thursday before tapering off Thursday night.

Dry conditions were expected Friday and over the weekend as breezy Santa Ana winds move in, said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

Preliminary data from the Ventura County Watershed Protection District showed Camarillo, Santa Paula and Simi Valley had recorded over 3 inches of rain during the two-day storm as of midafternoon Thursday. Moorpark, Ojai, Thousand Oaks and Ventura recorded around 2 ½ inches.

Fillmore recorded 3.5 inches and Oxnard topped 4 inches during the two-day reporting period.

The National Weather Service reported 6 inches of snow at Mount Pinos as of 8 a.m. Thursday.

Thursday's road closures followed some local reports of flooding, rocks and debris clogging roads Wednesday evening in Ventura County and elsewhere.

Caltrans officials on Wednesday urged California drivers to avoid mountain travel in the Sierra Nevada until weather conditions improve.

This story will be updated.

Jeremy Childs is a breaking news and public safety reporter covering the night shift for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached by calling 805-437-0208 or emailing jeremy.childs@vcstar.com. You can also find him on Twitter @Jeremy_Childs.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Grapevine reopens as storm pummels Southern California