Southern Californians mopping up from record-breaking rains over the Christmas holiday may be in for more wet weather to usher in the new year \u2014 including a high likelihood of rain on the Rose Parade. <\/p>\n
The last time the parade got drenched was in 2006<\/a>, when sheets of rain soaked the floats and marching bands making their way past poncho-wearing spectators on the five and a half mile route in Pasadena.<\/p>\n Prior to that, rain had not fallen on the parade since 1955 \u2014 and only eight other times since the floats, traditionally decorated with real flowers, began rolling in 1890, usually on New Year\u2019s Day, except when Jan. 1 falls on a Sunday.<\/p>\n The New Year\u2019s storm won\u2019t pack anything close to the punch of the one that turned the region into a muddy mess last week, producing a small tornado<\/a> in Boyle Heights and playing a role in the deaths of five people. <\/p>\n But it could put a damper on the Rose Parade, beginning with the spectators camping out along Colorado Boulevard on New Year\u2019s Eve to secure a prime viewing spot. <\/p>\n Rain should start to fall that night, with as much as a tenth of an inch expected, along with another half an inch on New Year\u2019s Day, said Rich Thompson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople camping out New Year\u2019s Eve for the parade will probably get a little bit wet,\u201d he said. \u201cDuring the parade itself, it should be raining, but nothing anywhere near what we just experienced \u2014 not even in the same ballpark.\u201d<\/p>\n In the interim, things should stay dry, with Santa Ana conditions expected through Tuesday.<\/p>\n Officials with the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Assn. are trying to remain optimistic, saying they try to avoid \u201cthe word that begins with an R.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHistory shows us the sun tends to show up right on time,\u201d said David Eads, the association\u2019s chief executive. \u201cBut no matter the weather, we\u2019re prepared. The Rose Parade will be magical, and the Rose Bowl game will be spectacular.\u201d<\/p>\n If rain does come, the tops will go up on the convertibles that traverse the parade route, Eads said. On the upside, he added, rain is \u201cactually really good for the flowers, which do better in cooler weather.\u201d<\/p>\n This year\u2019s parade theme is \u201cThe Magic in Teamwork,\u201d<\/a> and the grand marshal is basketball legend and entrepreneur Earvin \u201cMagic\u201d Johnson. In 2006, the parade\u2019s theme was also magic-related<\/a>.<\/p>\n With so much rain over the past two months, there should be no repeat of January\u2019s devastating wildfires. <\/p>\n \u201cFire season is definitely done now,\u201d said Thompson of the National Weather Service. \u201cWe\u2019re good until late spring, early summer at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n The Christmas holiday rain totals came on top of strong storms in November<\/a>, making the start to Southern California\u2019s rainy season \u2014 which began Oct. 1 \u2014 one of the wettest ever. By midday Friday, it already ranked among the seven wettest for the region \u2014 a major departure from last year\u2019s dry weather.<\/p>\n Downtown Los Angeles has received 11.13 inches so far this rainy season. A normal amount by this point would be 3.28 inches, Thompson said.<\/p>\n Last week\u2019s storm broke rainfall records for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in many places.<\/p>\n Some mountain areas received close to 18 inches of rain for the last five days, through Saturday morning. Downtown L.A. got 4.2 inches of rain. Porter Ranch got more than 9 inches and La Ca\u00f1ada Flintridge got more than 7 inches, according to the National Weather Service.<\/p>\n In Wrightwood, nestled in the San Gabriel Mountains, residents were digging out of rivers of mud and debris<\/a> that washed through their homes.<\/p>\n In Los Angeles, police responded to more than 520 traffic accidents during the storm. Firefighters went to five river rescue incidents, and city crews fielded calls for about 750 \u201ctree emergencies,\u201d including downed trees and fallen branches.<\/p>\n Gov. Gavin Newsom declared emergencies in Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Shasta counties.<\/p>\n In Redding<\/a>, a 74\u2011year\u2011old man died after driving his pickup truck into a flooded roadway. In Mendocino County, a woman was knocked off a rock by a large wave at a beach. And in San Diego<\/a>, a man was fatally struck by a falling tree. <\/p>\n On Friday, authorities reported finding a deceased man in a partially submerged vehicle in the Lancaster area.<\/p>\n A fifth storm-related death took place in Fresno County, where the body of a 21-year-old was found in a vehicle, which was 12 feet underwater in a canal, according to ABC30<\/a> in Central California.<\/p>\n