LAPD firefighters respond to a landslide in the neighborhoods above Beverly Hills that caused two vehicles to be trapped in the mud and forced several residents to evacuate on Feb. 5, 2024. A powerful atmospheric river storm deluged California on Monday with more heavy rain, mudslides, flooding and several feet of snow in the mountains. The brunt of Monday's storms centered on the Los Angeles area, where 1.4 million people were under a flash flood warning Ð including the Hollywood Hills and Beverly Hills. Additional rainfall totals of 5-8 inches were forecast in some areas, which would bring 48-hour totals as high as 14 inches for some locations, the weather service said. A state of emergency was declared in eight Southern California counties.
San Diego, California – California is bracing for one of its strongest and wettest storms of the season — a sprawling Pacific system that began pushing into the state Thursday morning, bringing gusty winds, heavy snow in the Sierra, and the threat of flash flooding across the south.
Forecasters say the storm could mark a turning point in California’s weather year: ending a mild but dry fall and delivering a long-awaited drenching that could officially close out wildfire season. But that relief comes with a cost — several days of potentially dangerous rain, particularly in areas scarred by recent fires.
“This looks to be the most widespread and heaviest precipitation we’ve seen this fall,” said Todd Hall, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Los Angeles. “We’re going to get rain, we just don’t know the amounts — and that’s where the concern comes in.”
Across much of the state, one to four inches of rain are forecast by Sunday, with up to eight inches expected in the foothills and mountain regions of Southern California. Northern California saw the first wave Thursday morning, as rain swept through the Bay Area before heading south.
“It’s forecast to move through the Bay Area at a decent pace,” said Roger Gass, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Monterey office. “But down south, that’s where we could see the system stall out.”
That stall is what has forecasters worried. Computer models suggest the storm could park itself just off the Southern California coast, funneling moisture into the region well into the weekend. Los Angeles and Ventura Counties are under flood watches through Sunday, with evacuation warnings issued for neighborhoods near the Palisades and Eaton fire burn scars.
“We’re going to get flooding,” Hall said. “We just don’t know whether it’s going to be road flooding or debris flows in wildfire areas.”
Bryan Lewis, another meteorologist at the Los Angeles Weather Service office, said the worst may arrive Saturday afternoon and evening. “That’s when we expect the most intense rainfall,” he said, “and that’s when debris flows become a serious concern for burn areas.”
In downtown Los Angeles, two to four inches of rain are likely, but totals could vary dramatically depending on where the storm stalls. The steep hills above Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties could see up to eight inches of rain, and with soils still recovering from past fires, even moderate downpours could trigger landslides.
Farther south, San Diego County is expected to avoid the worst of the flooding but will still see a soaking. The National Weather Service expects two to two and a half inches in low-lying areas, and up to four inches in the mountains.
Despite the hazards, the storm will deliver some benefits. Snowfall in the Sierra Nevada is expected to replenish mountain snowpack, and widespread rain will ease drought conditions and tamp down the risk of new wildfires.
