Main points of the story
A rare Level 4 of 4 risk of heavy rainfall is in effect for more than 14 million people across Southern California.
Flooded roads and damaging debris flows were reported early Monday
The extended period of sustained heavy rain comes as much of the state is already saturated with recent record rainfall
CNN
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A dense, long-lasting atmospheric river is moving across California – causing widespread power outages and the potential for life-threatening mudslides and flooding during heavy rain and snow. Follow our live coverage here. This is what happens:
• Rare high flood risks persist: Heavy rain fell in Southern California, including Los Angeles, increasing the risk of flooding throughout the day Monday. Heavy rain and “locally catastrophic” flooding are possible in Orange County through Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Office in San Diego.
• Power outage numbers remain high: Strong winds and rain knocked out power to more than 500,000 customers in California, especially along the coast, according to tracking site PowerOutage.us. The majority of the outages occurred in the northern half of the state where winds gusted up to 100 mph over the past day.
• At least one death has been reported: A man was killed in Yuba City, about 40 miles north of Sacramento, Sunday by a large redwood tree that fell as winds of up to 50 mph gusted through the area. “Through the investigation, it appeared that he may have been using a ladder to attempt to move the tree away from his home when it fell on him,” the Yuba City Police Department said in a statement. The man's identity has not been revealed.
• Los Angeles experiences its wettest day in 20 years: Heavy rain brought 4.10 inches of rain Sunday to downtown Los Angeles, marking the wettest day the city has seen since 5.55 inches of rain fell on December 28, 2004. February is typically the wettest month of the year in Los Angeles, with Average rainfall was 5.55 inches on December 28, 2004. An average of 3.64 inches of rain totaled downtown.
• Danger of rare rains: The Weather Prediction Center issued a rare risk of heavy rainfall — or Level 4 of 4 — for more than 14 million people across Southern California on Monday. This includes downtown Los Angeles, Anaheim, and Long Beach. In Central and Southern California, widespread rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches are expected — more than a month's worth of rain in most areas in several days.
• Life-threatening landslides and flash floods are expected: A “very dangerous situation” is unfolding Monday morning in the Hollywood Hills area — where many homes were evacuated — and around the Santa Monica Mountains, the weather service said. “Numerous landslides, flooded roads, submerged vehicles, and flooded creeks and streams remain persistent” in an area that includes Malibu, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Brentwood and Burbank, the service said.
• Officials implement evacuation orders: Some residents in Santa BarbaraSaint Joseph, Angels Ventura County was under evacuation orders over the weekend as officials warned of potential “life-threatening” flooding and landslides. Officials went door-to-door on Sunday giving evacuation warnings in Sun Valley, California, according to CNN affiliate KABC. The authorities evacuated residents Near Mission Creek in Santa Barbara where streets were flooded Sunday.
• Storm hampers travel in the mountains: Large amounts of snow are expected in eastern California and along the Nevada border, with heavy, wet snow spreading across the Sierra Nevada through Monday, with accumulation rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour, according to the weather service. Dangerous wind gusts are expected to bring gloomy conditions, making travel above 5,000 to 6,000 feet “almost impossible,” according to the weather service. He said.
• Schools cancel classes and move to remote locations: Several school districts in Santa Barbara County canceled classes Monday due to inclement weather, while others including California State University Fullerton switched to remote learning.
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This atmospheric river — a long, narrow band of moisture that carries saturated air for thousands of miles and then drains it like a firehose — is impacting California this week in the wake of another recent storm that drenched much of the state, including Los Angeles, with record rainfall.
The strongest winds associated with the system have subsided, but wind gusts up to 50 mph are still present across the upper elevations of central and southern California. Wind warnings were issued across Central California and in Orange and San Diego counties Monday morning.
As the state braces for flooded roads and rivers, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
Southern California continued to brace for the long-term effects of the storm, which stalled as it moved onshore, resulting in much longer rainfall compared to the last storm. California residents can expect to see the worst of the storm's impacts and increased flood risks through Tuesday, according to the weather service.
In Los Angeles, officials urged residents to stay off the roads and stay home if possible — even sending a flash flood emergency alert to phones Sunday evening telling people not to travel due to the “dangerous and life-threatening situation.” All lanes on Interstate 5 in San Fernando in Los Angeles County were flooded as of late Sunday evening. The flash flood warning for western and central Los Angeles County covers nearly 4 million people.
Further south, weather service reports showed the storm system “has the potential to drop an unusually large amount of rain on San Diego,” Mayor Todd Gloria said during a news conference Sunday.
Ethan Swope/AP
Vehicles pass fallen branches during a rainstorm in Goleta, California.
Gloria said that low-lying, flood-prone areas of San Diego had been issued evacuation warnings. He added that the city will likely see 2 to 2.5 inches of rain through Tuesday, with rain possible at a rate of half an inch per hour in some areas.
“I understand the fatigue of these repeated warnings,” Gloria said. He added: “I realize that fatigue may be starting to set in, but I can assure you that this decision to issue this warning was not taken lightly.”
In Ventura County, storm risks began to develop Sunday after law enforcement reported multiple flooded roads, submerged vehicles, rocks, mudslides and rapidly rising river levels, according to the weather service.
The weather service said “life-threatening landslides and additional flash flooding” were expected in the Hollywood Hills area and around the Santa Monica Mountains. The Los Angeles Weather Service said that areas witnessed widespread heavy rainfall exceeding 5 inches during the past 24 hours, with rain levels in some areas reaching 9 inches. Both locations are under a “particularly hazardous situation” flash flood warning early Monday as rain continues to fall, with up to 3 additional inches possible.
Two homes were severely damaged in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles by a debris flow Sunday night, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. No one was injured, but nine homes were evacuated, fire officials said.
In a separate alert early Monday morning, the department said at least three homes were affected by the debris flow in Encino, although only one home was occupied at the time. The administration added that two people were evacuated and no injuries were reported.
Debris flows are “fast-moving landslides” that destroy objects, and can occur during periods of heavy rainfall, according to the USGS.
In San Bernardino County, three people were rescued after becoming stranded in a tree while trying to cross a flooded road with their car, the San Bernardino County Fire Department said. He said on X Monday morning.
The department said in a statement that the car sank in “fast flood waters” in the Devor Heights neighborhood. Previous post.
CNN's Tina Burnside, Nouran Salahia, Alison Chinchar, Caitlin Kaiser, Sarah Tonks and Elissa Rafa contributed to this report.
