Flash flood warnings were issued Monday afternoon as San Bernardino County and Riverside County residents are still feeling the effect of Tropical Storm Kay, which brought heavy rain and flooding — prompting road closures including in the Forest Falls, Oak Glen and Lake Mathews areas. Evacuations were also ordered late Monday in the Oak Glen and Forest Falls areas.
The San Bernardino County flooding impacted the burn scar areas of the Apple and El Dorado fires from 2020, according to Eric Sherwin, spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department. “Significant” debris flows impacted the communities of Forest Falls and Oak Glen, Sherwin said.
Just after 9 p.m. the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, known locally as Yucaipa Police, issued an evacuation order for the Oak Glen area.
Around 10 p.m., a second evacuation order was issued in Forest Falls from Canyon Drive to Prospect Drive, south of Valley of the Falls, the Sheriff’s Department said. The Forest Falls community earlier had been advised to shelter in place.
An evacuation center was set up in Redlands at Redlands East Valley High School, located at 31000 East Colton Ave, sheriff’s officials said.
In the Forest Falls area, Valley of the Falls Drive was closed, according to San Bernardino County of Public Works.
In the Oak Glen area, Oak Glen Road was closed at Little San Gorgonio Creek, public works said.
Highway 38 in the San Bernardino Mountains was also closed between Bryant Street and Lake Williams Drive due to mudslides from the flooding and debris in the area, Caltrans said.
No injuries were reported in the flooding, Sherwin said. County fire crews as well as crews with Cal Fire San Bernardino were assessing the damage into the evening, according to Sherwin.
A rainfall gauge near both the Apple and El Dorado burn scars recorded 2.45 inches of rain in just an hour Monday afternoon, according to Adam Roser, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Elsewhere in the San Bernardino Mountains, Crestline received about an inch of rainfall throughout the evening, Roser said.
A temporary closure was announced on Highway 18 south of Crestline between Highway 138 and Highway 189, according to Caltrans.
For the remainder of the night, a stray shower could be expected throughout the mountains, possibly furthering the flooding woes, Roser said. On Tuesday, Sept. 13, more storms were expected in the area, but they were not expected to be as intense as Monday’s, he said.
Thunderstorm cells tracking south to north near Corona unloaded heavy rainfall along the 15 Freeway and on roads in the vicinity of Lake Mathews, prompting closures.
The rain bursts flooded lanes on southbound 15 Freeway at Dos Lagos Drive about 3:50 p.m. Monday. Around the same time, the same cell dumped copious precipitation on Estelle Mountain and Gavilan Springs roads, less than a mile south of Lake Mathews, the California Highway Patrol said.
This caused a flash flood, trapping a driver and passenger in a sedan on Estelle Mountain Road, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire. Crews reached the location within a few minutes and discovered the occupants standing on the roof of the vehicle, officials said. The pair were safely extricated and were not injured.
Flash flood warnings issued by the National Weather Service for the area had expired by 9 p.m.
Flooding also caused Cal State San Bernardino to close Monday while damage from flooding was cleaned up.
“We’re not done with the tropical storm just yet,” said Sherwin. The department has responded to numerous calls for service regarding the flooding.
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