Parts of Southern California were placed under evacuation orders early Saturday as an unusually powerful storm system moved through the region, bringing a heightened risk of flash floods and landslides in areas recently affected by wildfires, reports Baltimore Chronicle. Rain began on Friday, but forecasters warn that the most intense precipitation is expected on Saturday as the system draws additional moisture from the Pacific Ocean.
Early Saturday, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for a large portion of Los Angeles County, spanning from Long Beach to Malibu, placing approximately 2.6 million residents at risk and advising them to seek higher ground. Authorities caution that heavy rainfall and strong winds may result in travel delays at airports, flooded roads, rockslides and mudslides along canyon routes, and swollen rivers and creeks. The storm could also trigger dangerous debris flows, which occur when torrents of water and mud descend steep slopes, particularly affecting burn scars from previous fires. Residents in areas impacted by the Palisades and Eaton fires in January were under evacuation warnings through Sunday, while some homes faced mandatory evacuation orders starting Friday night. Parts of Ventura County, including regions burned by last year’s Mountain Fire, were also issued evacuation warnings.
Meteorologists describe the storm as having two stages. The first stage, from Thursday night into Friday afternoon, brought light to moderate rain, particularly in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. The second, more intense stage began late Friday night and continued through Saturday, with forecasts predicting heavy rainfall and potential thunderstorms capable of causing flash flooding. David Gomberg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, noted that the storm is drawing in a narrow atmospheric river from the Pacific, though its precise path remains uncertain.
Precipitation is expected across all of Southern California through Sunday, including snow at elevations above 8,000 feet. Coastal and valley areas from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles are likely to receive two to four inches of rain, with mountain regions seeing four to eight inches. Downtown Los Angeles could experience two to four inches, with localized thunderstorms potentially increasing totals. In Orange and San Bernardino Counties, rainfall is forecast at four to six inches in the mountains, while San Diego may receive around two inches, particularly in the morning and afternoon hours.
Southern California’s coastal mountains, including the Santa Monica and San Bernardino ranges, are positioned to capture the storm’s moisture, causing heavy rain to flow down slopes and into urban areas, leading to traffic delays, localized flash flooding, and minor debris flows. If the storm stalls over Los Angeles County, the risk of dangerous debris flows in burn scar areas from past fires will increase, as vegetation loss and hardened soil allow water and sediment to move rapidly downhill.
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