by Mick Rhodes | editor@claremont-courier.com

The final tally is in from the deadly and prolific atmospheric river that pounded Southern California Sunday through Tuesday, and the smaller, low-pressure system that arrived Wednesday: the storms dropped 8.68 inches of rain in Claremont, bringing the season total to 15.21 inches.

For those with rain fatigue, the news is good: Friday’s forecast calls for partly cloudy conditions, followed by a procession of nothing but sunny, clear days beginning Saturday.

The death toll from the massive storm stands at nine, including four people hit by falling trees in Northern California, and three others who died in weather related car crashes in Central and Southern California.

Ominously, 22-year-old El Monte resident Lifei Huang has been missing since 2 p.m. Sunday, when she embarked on a solo hike at Mt. Baldy during some of the most treacherous hours of the first storm. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department reported she was last heard from about two hours later. Rescuers began searching at about 2:30 a.m. Monday. There was no update from the sheriff’s department at press time Thursday.

Other areas of Southern California recorded much higher rain totals than Claremont from the twin storms. From Sunday to Wednesday Bel Air got a whopping 13.65 inches, while Woodland Hills received 12.88 inches of the wet stuff.