California Storm Update

San Bernardino County declares State of Emergency

San Bernardino County declared a state of emergency due to "extreme" rain and snow expected through Wednesday. The declaration clears the way for federal and state aid that will likely be needed during and after the storm, the county said in a press release. "The National Weather Service has predicted catastrophic and life-threatening flooding for the San Bernardino valley and coastal slopes of the San Bernardino mountains tonight through Tuesday with showers chances lasting through Friday," the press release said. "Travel and commuting will be difficult." Residents were also warned of small stream and urban flooding, as well as rising rivers. The county "is taking all available steps to keep our residents safe and we are making preparations to meet their needs during and after the storms," county board chair and Third District Supervisor Dan Rowe said in the press release. (source)

16 people rescued as debris flow causes havoc in L.A.

Firefighters rescued 16 people from Studio City, Los Angeles, late last night after debris carried by heavy rainfall caused significant damage to two homes. All nine homes on Lock ridge Road were evacuated, including pets, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an update. "Thankfully, no one was injured and there are no medical needs," the statement said. Emergency shelter is being offered to the displaced residents if needed. The homes are others in the area are now being assessed by the LA Department of Building and Safety, the Department of Water and gas suppliers. Between 4 and 8 inches of rain have been forecast overnight. (source)

Sunday beats Downtown L.A. rain record for February with 4.1 inches

The deluge of rain falling on Los Angeles is officially record-breaking: Downtown LA received 4.1 inches of rain yesterday, smashing the previous daily record for February of 2.55 inches, set way back in 1927, the city's National Weather Service station said on X. It was the third wettest day for February since 1877 and tied for the 10th wettest day overall. The actual wettest day ever was in 1938 when 5.88 inches fell. (source)

Flood warnings continue as 14 inches of rain expected in 48 hours, weather service warns

The total rainfall for parts of Southern California could reach between 8 and 14 inches over a 48-hour period, deepening the risk of flooding as the atmospheric river moves over the state, the National Weather Service said in an updated forecast at 12 a.m. PT (3.a.m ET) today. "Ongoing showers and thunderstorms will continue to produce very heavy rainfall," the update said, adding that a high risk of excessive rainfall was likely to continue, with 5 to 8 inches possible today alone. "Increasingly saturated conditions and ongoing flooding will be further exacerbated by this additional rainfall, continuing the threat for life-threatening, locally catastrophic flash, urban, and small stream flooding, as well as a threat for debris flows and mudslides," the NWS said. Meanwhile, 2 to 3 inches of rain are expected in mountainous regions higher than 5,000 feet, with winds of up to 60 mph creating hazardous whiteout conditions. (source)

Police go door-to-door to evacuate people from flooded downtown Santa Barbara

Residents who had stayed put in downtown Santa Barbara were being urged to leave their homes by police who were going door-to-door in an armored vehicle last night. An entire intersection was underwater and creeks had overflowed. Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown converted Friday night’s evacuation warnings for two areas to mandatory evacuations effective early Saturday afternoon. (source)

Over 500,000 without power in California

As rain continues to batter the Golden State, over 529,000 homes and businesses are without power as of 6:30 a.m. local time (9:30 a.m. ET). Most of the outages are concentrated in Northern and central California, with Mendocino County reporting over 23,400 customers without power, over 38,000 in Sonoma County, and over 54,000 out in San Mateo County. In Los Angeles, more than 4,000 out of 2 million customers are experiencing outages.

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