Mistaken flash-flood warning sent in L.A. hours before polls close as storm batters Southern California

A flash-flood warning mistakenly went out to a far larger area than intended Tuesday as a heavy storm continued to lash Southern California, killing at least one person and forcing multiple swift-water rescue attempts. The warning, which was meant for about 1,500 people in the Fish fire burn area east of Duarte, went wide when a “glitch” changed the small, targeted area to all of L.A. County, according to the National Weather Service. As of 5 p.m., downtown Los Angeles had received 1.56 inches of rain, Los Angeles International Airport received 1.38 inches and the Van Nuys Airport received 1.24 inches, according to two-day rainfall totals from the weather service. Isolated snowfall could occur overnight through early Wednesday, but significant snow accumulation is not expected on the Grapevine or other passes below 5,000 feet, said Dumas, with the weather service’s Oxnard office. The San Bernardino Mountains received significant rainfall, with the middle fork of Lytle Creek recording 8.47 inches as of about 6 p.m., and Panorama Point receiving 5.87 inches, according to two-day rainfall totals from the weather service’s San Diego office.