The City of Angels has issued a rain advisory for all Los Angeles County beaches, warning beachgoers to steer clear of the water until Wednesday afternoon. According to a statement from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, all ocean and bay recreational areas, particularly those near storm drains, creeks, and rivers, might be swimming with bacteria, chemicals, trash, and more menacing runoff dropped from city streets and mountain areas after it rains.

The County of Los Angeles, California Bulletin, released early Monday morning, advises against water contact, especially near discharging storm drains, creeks, and rivers due to the risk of illness from potential contaminants. This warning shot of public health advice comes smack in the middle of a downpour threatening to wash more than just the streets clean. Beach lovers will have to put their plans on hold, as the advisory stands firm until 4:00 pm on April 17.

Health authorities underscore that the advisory will linger like a bad cold for 72 hours post-rainfall, a standard precaution to ensure swimmers don't dive into dirty water, as per the County of Los Angeles, California. The public notice insists this is for the protection of the community, a necessary measure when faced with the invisible threats that runoff from rain can carry into the ocean. Illnesses are no day at the beach, and getting sick from a dip in polluted waters is what the Department is aiming to prevent.

For those itching for updates or details of the aquatic advisory, the County's beach closure hotline has the latest 24-hour scoop at 1-800-525-5662. More information, including an interactive map of the affected areas, begs to be perused at PublicHealth.LACounty.gov/Beach/. And let's face it, in this city of sprawl and sparkles, a closed beach is an inconvenience, but scrambling to the hospital with a water-borne illness, well, that's a storyline no Angeleno wants to star in.