A powerful and unusually intense storm system, known as an atmospheric river, is currently deluging Southern California, bringing with it a significant risk of flash flooding, particularly in coastal areas recently scarred by wildfires.
Heavy Rainfall and Urgent Warnings
The National Weather Service offices in Los Angeles and Oxnard reported heavy rainfall on Saturday, with precipitation rates reaching up to an inch (2.5 centimetres) per hour in vulnerable coastal regions. This follows substantial rainfall on Friday, where more than four inches fell over coastal Santa Barbara County as the storm approached the Los Angeles area.
Authorities have been urging residents to stay indoors due to the combination of heavy rain and strong winds. The long plume of tropical moisture, which formed over the Pacific Ocean, first began soaking the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday before moving south and unleashing widespread rain over Southern California on Friday and Saturday.
Evacuation Orders in High-Risk Areas
The situation is particularly dangerous in and around recent burn scars, where the lack of vegetation dramatically increases the risk of destructive debris flows. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass confirmed in a social media post on Saturday morning that an Evacuation Warning remains for these vulnerable zones.
More critically, mandatory Evacuation Orders have been issued for specific high-risk properties within the Palisades and Eaton fire burn areas. These orders are effective from Friday evening through to Sunday morning. Mayor Bass indicated that law enforcement personnel were actively visiting properties in these zones to urge people to leave for their own safety.
Widespread Impact and Further Forecast
Flood warnings have been extended across a significant portion of the coast, stretching from the Ventura County coast, through Malibu, and into the City of Los Angeles itself. Meanwhile, the powerful storm is also affecting other parts of California, with more than a foot of snow predicted for sections of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
The event underscores the compound risks faced by communities where extreme wildfires have altered the landscape, making them acutely vulnerable to subsequent extreme weather events like this atmospheric river.
