by Mick Rhodes | editor@claremont-courier.com

The deadly and prolific atmospheric river that had pounded Southern California since Sunday has for the most part passed, but another smaller storm is due to begin dropping more rain in Claremont later today.

Precipitation from the low pressure system should begin about 7 p.m. and continue through midnight, with about a half-inch expected. After that, partly cloudy conditions should prevail through Thursday, followed by a welcome procession of sunny, clear days beginning Friday.

The death toll from the massive storm that rolled through the area over the past four days 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.

The storm had dumped 7.93 inches of rain in Claremont as of 5:55 p.m. Tuesday, according to the remote automatic weather station that reports data to the National Weather Service. This brings the season total, which began October 1, 2023, to 14.46 inches, more than doubling the city’s pre-storm tally of 6.53 inches.

Other areas of Southern California recorded much higher rain totals since Sunday, including Topanga Canyon at an astonishing 13.48 inches, Bel Air at 13.04, and Woodland Hills, which received 12.62 inches of the wet stuff.