Severe Storms Trigger Flooding And Mudslides In Los Angeles, Prompting Evacuations | Watch

Late Thursday night and early Friday morning heavy rain caused extreme flooding and mudslides all over Los Angeles, resulting in evacuations and warnings in areas that had just been blackened by devastating wildfires. People living near the burn zones of the Palisades, Sunset, and Hurst fires were evacuated as authorities braced for dangerous conditions.

The National Weather Service reported nearly half a foot of rain across the region, with powerful gusts of wind to 80 miles an hour in mountain areas near San Gabriel and San Luis Obispo. The storm, fueled by an atmospheric river of colossal Pacific moisture, swept roads and blanketed vulnerable terrain with debris.

A mudslide in Malibu swept a driver’s vehicle off the road and into the ocean Thursday night, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott said. Emergency workers urged people to stay away from roads due to landslide, tree and power line dangers.

Even as flood warnings were suspended late Thursday when the storm system broke apart, meteorologists warned that lingering mudslides and flooding remained a threat, particularly in areas where January’s deadly wildfires left the ground denuded of vegetation. The Eaton and Palisades fires, which killed 29 individuals and destroyed over 16,000 structures, left the landscape very susceptible to erosion and debris flows.

While the storms are a respite to arid areas, authorities indicate that the effects will be fatal, with landslides and persistent flood risks facing vulnerable communities.