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Dry weather is on the way to Southern California

The brunt of the last in a string of storm systems that have deluged Southern California made its way through the region on Monday, Jan. 16, with lingering showers expected to make way for sustained dry weather beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 17.

The tail end of the lesser of two storms that brought yet another round of record rainfall over the weekend to a rain-battered stretch continued to lead to some hazardous driving conditions and weather-related issues early Monday, along with a continued high-surf advisory.

It was a far cry from the torrential rains early Saturday.

In Orange County, the two-day rain totals ranged from just shy of two inches, to a little above four inches in the coastal areas and above six inches in portions of the mountains. In San Bernardino and Riverside counties, the range was two inches to above three in the valleys and nearly six and a half inches in some mountains.

The normally dry Santa Ana River is overflowing with water run-off from the recent storms as passes through the middle of the Riverview Golf Course in Santa Ana on Monday, January 16, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Pedro Magana of Santa Ana stands on the Memory Lane overpass at the Santa Ana River while recording video of water run-off from the recent storms as it passes through the middle of the Riverview Golf Course in Santa Ana on Monday, January 16, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Geese, ducks and other birds gather on the fairway at Riverview Gold Course to feed in Santa Ana on Monday, January 16, 2023 after the normally dry Santa Ana River is now overflowing with water from the recent rain storms to hit Southern California. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Record-breaking rainfall was also recorded in Los Angeles County on Saturday, including in Long Beach, which collected 1.72 inches, and downtown Los Angeles, which caught 1.82 inches.

Even as the worst of the storm passed, the wet and windy weather still led to some trouble late Sunday into early Monday.

In Orange County, a man barely hanging onto an embankment was rescued from a storm channel in Cypress near Knott Avenue and Recycle Way shortly before 6 p.m. Sunday by firefighters.

Hours later, a large tree fell in the Hollywood Hills and ruptured a gas line, downed power lines and damaged a home.

Farther inland, a rock slide early Monday on Highway 74, between Mountain Center and Hemet, snarled traffic, while hazards such as mud and standing water led to multiple road closures throughout unincorporated areas of Riverside County.

While the breezy winds may remain, the last remnants of the wet weather in Southern California was expected to taper off by mid-day Tuesday to the latest, and drier days were forecast into next week, at least.

Two lanes of the northbound 5 Freeway near Templin Highway were blocked on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

A large tree-trimming crew on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023, begins cleaning up the remnants of a massive tree that toppled and crushed at least four cars at a shopping center in Woodland Hills. The tree fell at the strip mall on the 23300 block of Mulholland Drive on Saturday. (Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)

A roofing crew surveys the damage on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023, after a massive tree toppled and crushed at least four cars Saturday at the strip mall on the 23300 block of Mulholland Drive in Woodland Hills. (Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)

Surfers brave the waves during a rain storm at Venice Beach in Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

Surfers brave the waves during a rain storm at Venice Beach in Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

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“The parade of storms we just experienced is pretty much over and we are back to a dry period,” said Kristen Steward, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

After a three-year stretch that marked the driest in California on record, forecasters said the wet start to the new year could be a good sign for the parched state.

But then again, they also cautioned that the first few months of California’s previous water year — which runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 — also saw a significant amount of rainfall before the state settled into extended dryness.

“This time last year we were roughly in the same position,” said Samantha Connolly, another meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The break in the wet weather is expected to give local officials time to clean up and assess the full impact of recent storms, which saw Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Joe Biden declare states of emergency for at least parts of California. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a local state of emergency as well.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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