LOS ANGELES — California braced for further downpours and high winds after a series of powerful Pacific storms drenched the state, unleashing flash floods, mud and debris flows, and prompting emergency declarations from Los Angeles County to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Fueled by an atmospheric river known as the Pineapple Express — a plume that channels deep tropical moisture from near Hawaii to the U.S. West Coast — the storms were forecast to drop roughly a month’s worth of rain on parts of the state, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters warned the rain would continue through today, keeping the risk of dangerous flooding elevated across southern California, including Los Angeles.
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“Numerous flash flooding events are possible,” the weather service said, cautioning that streams may flood and larger rivers could be affected. “The flooding may include debris flows in or near recently burned areas.” The agency also warned that some areas could see wind gusts up to 55 mph, compounding tree damage and power-line hazards.
Authorities declared a state of emergency in several counties, including Los Angeles, where officials urged residents to stay off roads and away from swollen storm channels. “We’re not out of it yet. Rain continues to fall across LA County making roadways, waterways and flood channels extremely dangerous. Check conditions before venturing out,” county officials said.
Heavy rain began lashing southern California on Wednesday, and some communities had already recorded 10 inches in the first storm, forecasters said. At least three people died in storm-related incidents, including a man killed by a falling tree, the Los Angeles Times reported.
In San Bernardino County, adjacent to Los Angeles, crews worked to divert floodwater as muddy torrents poured through the mountain town of Wrightwood, trapping people in their homes. “Fire department personnel were out there rescuing people, assisting them from their houses, getting them to safety, also while affecting rescues from people that were stranded in their vehicles,” said Christopher Prater, a spokesperson for the county fire department.
Officials placed particular focus on burn scar areas — where vegetation stripped by wildfire leaves slopes vulnerable to sudden runoff and debris flows — including coastal neighborhoods in Pacific Palisades and Malibu. Both communities are still recovering from devastating wildfires in January and remain under special alert as the wet weather persists.
Farther north, a dangerous storm developed over the San Francisco Bay Area, where an emergency alert for flash flooding was issued, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The National Weather Service office in San Francisco warned a severe thunderstorm near Santa Cruz could spawn a tornado, an uncommon but possible threat when strong convection intersects with the potent onshore flow.
Forecasters also projected heavy mountain snow across the Sierra Nevada along California’s eastern spine, where whiteout conditions and avalanche danger may develop as the atmospheric river collides with colder air at higher elevations.
With saturated soils, fast-rising creeks and potential for rockslides across burn zones, emergency managers urged residents to monitor alerts, avoid flood-prone roadways, and heed evacuation orders if issued. The prolonged Pineapple Express pattern, they said, will continue to test California’s flood defenses even as it boosts drought-stricken reservoirs.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
