One of the strongest storms of the season is slamming California with heavy rain, including fire-ravaged Los Angeles, where residents are bracing for the possibility of mudslides and landslides.
A line of severe thunderstorms from north of Pasadena to Malibu was moving east Thursday evening, bringing wind gusts of up to 70 mph and even the chance for a weak tornado. The strongest storms were located in the San Fernando Valley moving into the San Gabriel Valley, according to the National Weather Service.
A possible tornado hit a mobile home park near Oxnard, California, about 60 miles north of Los Angeles, with some damage to those mobile homes.
A severe thunderstorm and flash flood warning was issued for Los Angeles, Glendale and Santa Clarita until 8 p.m. PST.
Some areas in and around the Los Angeles mountains and hills could see more than 6 inches of rain.
There’s a big concern for flooding, mudslides and landslides, especially in the burn scar areas from last month’s devastating Palisades and Eaton fires in LA.
LA Mayor Karen Bass said the city prepared by clearing catch basins of fire debris; offering residents over 6,500 sandbags; setting up over 7,500 feet of concrete barriers; and having systems in place to capture polluted runoff.
Sheriff’s deputies “are helping residents prepare with sandbags and passing out mud and debris safety tips,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference Wednesday. “Our homeless outreach teams … are actively notifying individuals living in flood-prone areas like the LA River, Coyote Creek and other key waterways, urging them to relocate.”
Evacuation warnings were announced for parts of fire burn zones, including areas impacted by the Palisades Fire, and an evacuation order has been issued for parts of Sierra Madre affected by the Eaton Fire, according to Los Angeles ABC station KABC.
All Malibu schools were closed on Thursday and possibly Friday, according to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
The sheriff urged residents to prepare in the event they need to evacuate.
“Unfortunately, we’ve witnessed numerous, numerous instances in the past of swift-water rescues where people were caught in dangerous, fast-moving water, and obviously, we want to prevent that,” he said.
“Nothing that you have back home is worth your life. If you decide to stay in your property in an evacuated area, debris from the burn scar areas and storm may impede roads, and we may not be able to reach you,” he warned.
The rain will subside overnight with a chance of lingering showers on Friday.
The storm first hit the San Francisco Bay area Thursday morning with heavy rain and wind gusts up to 62 mph.
Flood watches are in effect from San Francisco to San Diego.
The same system is bringing snow further north.
In the Portland area, dozens of cars and trucks were involved in a pile-up amid whiteout conditions on Interstate 84, according to the Oregon State Police. No serious injuries were reported.
Very heavy snow is also hitting the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Up to 8 feet of snow is possible.
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