Storm batters California with record rain, flooding, mudslides

An “extremely dangerous situation” was unfolding in the Hollywood Hills area and around the Santa Monica Mountains early Monday, as a powerful, slow-moving storm triggered mudflows and debris flows that damaged some homes and forced residents to evacuate.

“Life-threatening landslides and additional flash flooding expected overnight,” the National Weather Service warned. “Avoid travel if at all possible.”

Forecasters expressed deep concern also about Griffith Park, nearby foothills and Malibu and Beverly Hills. A flash flood warning was in effect for the area Monday morning.

“Doppler radar indicated heavy rain,” the weather service said. Five to eight inches of rain had already fallen in that area, forecasters said late Sunday night, and additional 1 to 4 inches were possible in this area Monday morning.

Elsewhere in the region, forecasters also warned of a high risk for excessive rainfall for Orange County and parts of the Inland Empire through Tuesday morning.

Mud was already flowing across the Hollywood Hills Sunday night, damaging homes and forcing residents to flee.

In Studio City late Sunday, a debris flow sent mud and other objects flowing down the 11900 block of Lockridge Road, just off of Fryman Canyon, damaging at least two homes, Los Angeles firefighters said. All nine homes on Lockridge Road were evacuated, including pets, “in case further soil instability causes another flow,” firefighters said. There were no injuries. Sixteen residents were displaced.

About eight miles to the northwest, after midnight Monday, firefighters reported at least three homes impacted by a flow of debris on the 18000 block of Boris Drive, on the border between Tarzana and Encino. Firefighters were helping to evacuate residents.

Off Long Beach, 19 people Sunday were rescued from the rocks of the breakwater after the mast of the 40-foot boat they were on broke in high winds.

Eleven people climbed onto the rocks, where they were rescued, and eight more were picked up “by a good Samaritan” before the professional rescuers arrived, said Brian Fisk, firefighter and Long Beach Fire Department public information officer.

Damage reports piled up early Monday as the storm system steadily pummeled Southern California, and downtown L.A. broke a 97-year-old rainfall record.

On Sunday, downtown L.A. had seen 4.1 inches of rain, which broke the record for the calendar day set on Feb. 4, 1927, when 2.55 inches of rain was recorded. Sunday was the third wettest February day on record and tied for the 10th wettest day for any time of year since recordkeeping began in 1877, the National Weather Service said. (The wettest day ever was March 2, 1938, which brought 5.88 inches of rain.)

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department warned that all canyon roads leading to and from Malibu had been hit by rock and mud slides. On Sunday night, Malibu Canyon Road was closed between Malibu Crest Drive and Mulholland Highway.

In Tarzana, swift-water rescue teams responded to motorists stuck in floodwaters at West Oxnard Street and Donna Avenue. Images on social media showed rising waters and cars stalled amid local flooding.

Caltrans reported a small landslide that forced the closure of the road connecting southbound Interstate 5 to the southbound 110 freeway.

Around 7:30 p.m., all lanes of Interstate 5 were flooded in Sun Valley, officials said.

The L.A. Department of Water and Power reported 4,674 customers experiencing power outages as of 8 p.m. Sunday. Southern California Edison reported about 8,000 customers without power as of Monday at 12:30 a.m., and Pacific Gas & Electric reported more than 650,000 customers without power as of 7 p.m. Sunday. Power had been restored to an additional 415,000 PG&E customers who had lost power since Sunday morning.

Among the customers who lost power was Action News Now, a Chico television station which broadcasts news for CBS, NBC and CW stations in the northern Sacramento Valley. The station was able to broadcast using generators for their 11 p.m. news Sunday.

In Los Angeles, city workers tallied 254 fallen trees and branches, 549 pothole reports and 106 catch basins cleared to deter flooding.

Los Angeles police recorded 21 ambulance calls for traffic incidents between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday, with no fatalities.

Los Angeles Unified announced that, despite the storm, campuses would remain open — pending other developments — except for Vinedale Preparatory Academy, which sits within the La Tuna Canyon Road Evacuation Zone. Students and staff will relocate to Glenwood Elementary.

Areas at risk of flooding or mudslides — a danger in recent hillside burn areas — are under evacuation orders. Within Los Angeles, officials ordered evacuations for La Tuna Canyon Road, roughly within the area bounded by Horse Haven Street to the north, Martindale Avenue to the east, Penrose Street to the south and Ledge Avenue to the west. The area is threatened by the deluge pouring onto the burn scars left by the 2022 Land fire.

Even for those passing through, La Tuna Canyon Road, in the Sunland area, should be avoided. Several sections allow for resident access only. At least one portion is entirely closed.

In the Sepulveda Basin, Burbank Boulevard is closed between the 405 Freeway and Balboa Boulevard. Woodley Avenue is closed between Burbank and Victory boulevards.

San Bernardino County declared a state of emergency Sunday night in anticipation of damage from the powerful storm. Officials in Yucaipa issued an evacuation warning “due to potential mud and debris flow” for areas burned by the El Dorado and Apple fires.

In the Cajon Pass, three people were stranded in a tree early Monday morning after their car was flooded out while trying to cross a submerged area, along Keenbrook Road around Cajon Boulevard. San Bernardino County firefighters planned a swiftwater rescue.

Across the region and state, reports of damage and rescues were multiplying.

Whipped by powerful winds, trees fell on homes across Northern California, and one crushed a car on Highway 101 near Santa Rosa, injuring a motorist. In the San Francisco Bay Area, firefighters rescued a person off a sailboat on the rocks just off the Alameda coast, KTVU-TV reported. Firefighters in San Jose rescued stranded people and dogs from an island in the flooding Guadalupe River.

There were reports of street flooding in Seal Beach and Huntington Beach. Caltrans said Pacific Coast Highway along Bolsa Chica State Beach was closed due to flooding.

Local news outlets reported that firefighters in Ventura rescued a person trapped on an island in the Ventura River underneath the 101 Freeway. There were no reports of injuries.

In the eastern Sierra, U.S. 395 was shut overnight Sunday north of Mammoth Lakes, past Mono Lake, all the way to Bridgeport.

Santa Barbara Airport closed due to flooding on the airfield. Santa Barbara’s public schools and community colleges will be closed on Monday.

A wide-ranging flood watch was in effect throughout Southern California until 4 p.m. Tuesday amid a forecast of rain, rain and more rain: 4 to 8 inches generally and 8 to 14 inches in the foothills and mountains, according to the National Weather Service. Peak rates will reach an inch an hour and 3 inches in three hours, exacerbating the risk of localized flooding.

Through 1 a.m. Monday, peak wind gusts were expected to be 30 to 50 miles per hours in L.A. and Ventura counties and 50 to 70 miles per hour in mountains and hills. Winds are expected to diminish on Monday.

On Sunday, snow levels dropped to 6,500 feet. They will drop lower as the week progresses — to 5,000 feet on Tuesday. From 5,000 to 6,000 feet in elevation, about 4 to 8 inches of snow will fall; from 6,000 to 7,000 feet the accumulation will be 10 to 20 inches. Above 7,000 feet 2 to 5 feet of snow will fall.

The slow-moving atmospheric river gathered strength Sunday afternoon, spurring Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in eight Southern California counties: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The National Weather Service in Oxnard warned that “all systems are go for one of the most dramatic weather days in recent memory.”

Forecasters said the storm appeared to be focused on the Los Angeles area, where it could park itself for the next few days. The storm could drop up to 8 inches of rain on the coast and valleys and up to 14 inches in the foothills and mountains. Snowfall totals of 2 to 5 feet are likely at elevations above 7,000 feet.

At a briefing Sunday afternoon, Los Angeles Unified Supt. Alberto Carvalho announced that schools would remain open Monday, except for Vinedale Span School in Sun Valley, which is affected by city-ordered mandatory evacuations. He called on parents and staff to look for updates Sunday night and Monday at 6 a.m.

Santa Barbara County school districts opted to close Monday. Meanwhile, at least seven Cal State campuses — Dominguez Hills, Fullerton, Los Angeles, Northridge, Pomona, and San Bernardino — alerted students and staff that classes would move online.

The weather service issued dozens of flood watches and storm advisories across the state, including flash flood warnings in parts of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist with the weather service in Oxnard, said the storm could make a mess of the Monday-morning commute in L.A. County, which could see freeway flooding.

“If anyone has an opportunity to work remotely on Monday, that’s definitely the day to do it,” he said.

Forecasters were also warning of “torrential” rain in areas of Orange County, the Inland Empire and coastal slopes of the San Bernardino Mountains. The weather service warned in the afternoon of “locally catastrophic and life-threatening flooding,” stating that the storm system would “stall, bringing heavy rain through Monday afternoon.” From 5 to 7 inches of rain could drench Anaheim, Irvine and Ontario.

An “extremely dangerous situation” was unfolding in the Hollywood Hills area and around the Santa Monica Mountains early Monday, as a powerful, slow-moving storm triggered mudflows and debris flows that damaged some homes and forced residents to evacuate.

“Life-threatening landslides and additional flash flooding expected overnight,” the National Weather Service warned. “Avoid travel if at all possible.”

Forecasters expressed deep concern also about Griffith Park, nearby foothills and Malibu and Beverly Hills. A flash flood warning was in effect for the area Monday morning.

“Doppler radar indicated heavy rain,” the weather service said. Five to eight inches of rain had already fallen in that area, forecasters said late Sunday night, and additional 1 to 4 inches were possible in this area Monday morning.

Elsewhere in the region, forecasters also warned of a high risk for excessive rainfall for Orange County and parts of the Inland Empire through Tuesday morning.

Mud was already flowing across the Hollywood Hills Sunday night, damaging homes and forcing residents to flee.

In Studio City late Sunday, a debris flow sent mud and other objects flowing down the 11900 block of Lockridge Road, just off of Fryman Canyon, damaging at least two homes, Los Angeles firefighters said. All nine homes on Lockridge Road were evacuated, including pets, “in case further soil instability causes another flow,” firefighters said. There were no injuries. Sixteen residents were displaced.

About eight miles to the northwest, after midnight Monday, firefighters reported at least three homes impacted by a flow of debris on the 18000 block of Boris Drive, on the border between Tarzana and Encino. Firefighters were helping to evacuate residents.

Off Long Beach, 19 people Sunday were rescued from the rocks of the breakwater after the mast of the 40-foot boat they were on broke in high winds.

Eleven people climbed onto the rocks, where they were rescued, and eight more were picked up “by a good Samaritan” before the professional rescuers arrived, said Brian Fisk, firefighter and Long Beach Fire Department public information officer.

Damage reports piled up early Monday as the storm system steadily pummeled Southern California, and downtown L.A. broke a 97-year-old rainfall record.

On Sunday, downtown L.A. had seen 4.1 inches of rain, which broke the record for the calendar day set on Feb. 4, 1927, when 2.55 inches of rain was recorded. Sunday was the third wettest February day on record and tied for the 10th wettest day for any time of year since recordkeeping began in 1877, the National Weather Service said. (The wettest day ever was March 2, 1938, which brought 5.88 inches of rain.)

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department warned that all canyon roads leading to and from Malibu had been hit by rock and mud slides. On Sunday night, Malibu Canyon Road was closed between Malibu Crest Drive and Mulholland Highway.

In Tarzana, swift-water rescue teams responded to motorists stuck in floodwaters at West Oxnard Street and Donna Avenue. Images on social media showed rising waters and cars stalled amid local flooding.

Caltrans reported a small landslide that forced the closure of the road connecting southbound Interstate 5 to the southbound 110 freeway.

Around 7:30 p.m., all lanes of Interstate 5 were flooded in Sun Valley, officials said.

The L.A. Department of Water and Power reported 4,674 customers experiencing power outages as of 8 p.m. Sunday. Southern California Edison reported about 8,000 customers without power as of Monday at 12:30 a.m., and Pacific Gas & Electric reported more than 650,000 customers without power as of 7 p.m. Sunday. Power had been restored to an additional 415,000 PG&E customers who had lost power since Sunday morning.

Among the customers who lost power was Action News Now, a Chico television station which broadcasts news for CBS, NBC and CW stations in the northern Sacramento Valley. The station was able to broadcast using generators for their 11 p.m. news Sunday.

In Los Angeles, city workers tallied 254 fallen trees and branches, 549 pothole reports and 106 catch basins cleared to deter flooding.

Los Angeles police recorded 21 ambulance calls for traffic incidents between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday, with no fatalities.

Los Angeles Unified announced that, despite the storm, campuses would remain open — pending other developments — except for Vinedale Preparatory Academy, which sits within the La Tuna Canyon Road Evacuation Zone. Students and staff will relocate to Glenwood Elementary.

Areas at risk of flooding or mudslides — a danger in recent hillside burn areas — are under evacuation orders. Within Los Angeles, officials ordered evacuations for La Tuna Canyon Road, roughly within the area bounded by Horse Haven Street to the north, Martindale Avenue to the east, Penrose Street to the south and Ledge Avenue to the west. The area is threatened by the deluge pouring onto the burn scars left by the 2022 Land fire.

Even for those passing through, La Tuna Canyon Road, in the Sunland area, should be avoided. Several sections allow for resident access only. At least one portion is entirely closed.

In the Sepulveda Basin, Burbank Boulevard is closed between the 405 Freeway and Balboa Boulevard. Woodley Avenue is closed between Burbank and Victory boulevards.

San Bernardino County declared a state of emergency Sunday night in anticipation of damage from the powerful storm. Officials in Yucaipa issued an evacuation warning “due to potential mud and debris flow” for areas burned by the El Dorado and Apple fires.

In the Cajon Pass, three people were stranded in a tree early Monday morning after their car was flooded out while trying to cross a submerged area, along Keenbrook Road around Cajon Boulevard. San Bernardino County firefighters planned a swiftwater rescue.

Across the region and state, reports of damage and rescues were multiplying.

Whipped by powerful winds, trees fell on homes across Northern California, and one crushed a car on Highway 101 near Santa Rosa, injuring a motorist. In the San Francisco Bay Area, firefighters rescued a person off a sailboat on the rocks just off the Alameda coast, KTVU-TV reported. Firefighters in San Jose rescued stranded people and dogs from an island in the flooding Guadalupe River.

There were reports of street flooding in Seal Beach and Huntington Beach. Caltrans said Pacific Coast Highway along Bolsa Chica State Beach was closed due to flooding.

Local news outlets reported that firefighters in Ventura rescued a person trapped on an island in the Ventura River underneath the 101 Freeway. There were no reports of injuries.

In the eastern Sierra, U.S. 395 was shut overnight Sunday north of Mammoth Lakes, past Mono Lake, all the way to Bridgeport.

Santa Barbara Airport closed due to flooding on the airfield. Santa Barbara’s public schools and community colleges will be closed on Monday.

A wide-ranging flood watch was in effect throughout Southern California until 4 p.m. Tuesday amid a forecast of rain, rain and more rain: 4 to 8 inches generally and 8 to 14 inches in the foothills and mountains, according to the National Weather Service. Peak rates will reach an inch an hour and 3 inches in three hours, exacerbating the risk of localized flooding.

Through 1 a.m. Monday, peak wind gusts were expected to be 30 to 50 miles per hours in L.A. and Ventura counties and 50 to 70 miles per hour in mountains and hills. Winds are expected to diminish on Monday.

On Sunday, snow levels dropped to 6,500 feet. They will drop lower as the week progresses — to 5,000 feet on Tuesday. From 5,000 to 6,000 feet in elevation, about 4 to 8 inches of snow will fall; from 6,000 to 7,000 feet the accumulation will be 10 to 20 inches. Above 7,000 feet 2 to 5 feet of snow will fall.

The slow-moving atmospheric river gathered strength Sunday afternoon, spurring Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in eight Southern California counties: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The National Weather Service in Oxnard warned that “all systems are go for one of the most dramatic weather days in recent memory.”

Forecasters said the storm appeared to be focused on the Los Angeles area, where it could park itself for the next few days. The storm could drop up to 8 inches of rain on the coast and valleys and up to 14 inches in the foothills and mountains. Snowfall totals of 2 to 5 feet are likely at elevations above 7,000 feet.

At a briefing Sunday afternoon, Los Angeles Unified Supt. Alberto Carvalho announced that schools would remain open Monday, except for Vinedale Span School in Sun Valley, which is affected by city-ordered mandatory evacuations. He called on parents and staff to look for updates Sunday night and Monday at 6 a.m.

Santa Barbara County school districts opted to close Monday. Meanwhile, at least seven Cal State campuses — Dominguez Hills, Fullerton, Los Angeles, Northridge, Pomona, and San Bernardino — alerted students and staff that classes would move online.

The weather service issued dozens of flood watches and storm advisories across the state, including flash flood warnings in parts of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist with the weather service in Oxnard, said the storm could make a mess of the Monday-morning commute in L.A. County, which could see freeway flooding.

“If anyone has an opportunity to work remotely on Monday, that’s definitely the day to do it,” he said.

Forecasters were also warning of “torrential” rain in areas of Orange County, the Inland Empire and coastal slopes of the San Bernardino Mountains. The weather service warned in the afternoon of “locally catastrophic and life-threatening flooding,” stating that the storm system would “stall, bringing heavy rain through Monday afternoon.” From 5 to 7 inches of rain could drench Anaheim, Irvine and Ontario.