Heavy rain bands sweep Malibu as Hurricane Marie churns south Play

At least two pulses of heavy rain appear poised to hit Malibu Friday afternoon, with more than 1 inch already having fallen at the top of the mountains and a half inch or so received at the beaches.

A check of mountain gullies and creeks showed the rain had been falling at a gentle rate, and heavy runoff was not occurring.

At 2:17 p.m., two heavy bands of rain were poised to hit Malibu.

Hurricane Marie was 770 miles south-southwest of Los Angeles at midday and will continue on a steady northwest track. It is mostly responsible for rain that could hit us off and on at times next week.

Satellite pictures show expanding and cooling cloud tops to our south, indicating organizing showers offshore. The likelihood of embedded moderate to heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms stands at 5 to 15 percent.

The tropical airmass over us holds a “precipitable water value” of around 2 inches — meaning there is about 2 inches of rainfall available if it all comes down. “We are unaccustomed to that in Southwest California,” said a National Weather Service analysis at midday.

Rain totals of a quarter-inch to 1 inch will be common where the most consistent banding of showers and isolated thunderstorms occurs, which is still looking likely in Los Angeles into eastern Ventura County.

Isolated totals of up to 1.5 inches are possible, especially along the oceanfront of the Santa Monica Mountains — or as we call it, Malibu.

2:17 p.m. rain totals:

• Leo Carrillo: 0.29
• KBUU Trancas: 0.51
• Upper Pepperdine: 0.73
• Malibu Pier: 0.71
• Carbon Beach FS: 0.67
• Upper Las Flores Canyon: 0.73
• Stunt Road (Saddle Peak): 1.06
• Monte Nido (Piuma Road): 0.96
• Topanga Elementary School: 0.81
• Above Sunset Mesa: 0.78
• Calabasas Dump: 0.49
• Agoura Hills: 0.50