City battered by deadly storm after tornado warning with major flooding

07 February 2024 , 13:43

1083     0

Homes have been destroyed in the severe weather (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

The Golden State has seen fewer golden rays of sunshine recently, with many areas still under flood alerts and warnings due to a lingering storm front that has battered California.

At least three people have been killed by falling trees as a result of the powerful storm that continues to drench California. Residents have faced floods, mudslides and power outages since the storm moved in with fire officials reporting more than 130 flooding incidents and multiple rescues.

In San Diego, a rare tornado warning was put in place on Tuesday afternoon as the county continued to be pummelled by the weather system, though this was later lifted. The Pineapple Express weather system lingered over much of California until Sunday when it moved on.

READ MORE: Dramatic video shows moment twister touches down as severe weather hits Florida

People were evacuated during the storms as a precaution (Anadolu via Getty Images)

Gales, snow and rain to batter country today with 80mph wind gusts

During the torrential weather, some parts of Los Angeles County were deluged with more than 11 in ches of rain from Saturday night through to late Monday - more than 75 per cent of the average annual rainfall for downtown LA. In the Hollywood Hills, homeowners were faced with more than a foot of rain.

Currently, there are flooding advisories in effect until Saturday for some areas of California, with winter storm warnings remaining in place until Wednesday and a Beach Hazards Statement warning of "dangerous rip currents and breaking waves" in place until Friday in other areas. In Los Angeles a deadly atmospheric river storm continued for a third day, soaking the area and threatening to trigger further flooding and mudslides.

Homes and vehicles have been buried in mudslides (Anadolu via Getty Images)

The region has faced record-breaking rainfall since the severe weather moved in with a state of emergency declared by Governor Gavin Newsom. He warned: "California: this is a serious storm with dangerous and potentially life-threatening impacts. Please pay attention to any emergency orders or alerts from local officials. California is ready with a record number of emergency assets on the ground to respond to the impacts of this storm."

According to the Office of the Governor of California, the state has "over 8,500 boots on the ground" to help with recovery efforts including restoring power, ensuring roads are safe and open and helping with evacuation orders. The storm is said to be due to an "atmospheric river" effect, a phenomenon where water evaporates and is carried by the wind, forming long currents that flow through the skies like rivers flow on land.

Southern California has been continually battered by heavy rain for days (NBC)

The latest slow-moving storm is the second atmospheric river to hit California in as many weeks. After one final drenching on Wednesday, it's expected the storm will begin to move on with brighter weather ahead.

However, authorities have warned there is a continued threat of collapsing hillsides even after the worst of the weather appears to be over. Experts have warned that it wouldn't take much for water, mud and boulders to sluice down fragile hillsides, left in a delicate state following devastating wildfires.

"The ground is fully saturated and simply cannot hold any more water", even if rains are light, warned National Weather Service meteorologist Tyler Kranz. It's been one of the wettest storms in Southern California's history, with at least 475 mudslides reported in the Los Angeles area.

A homeowner's driveway became the path of a mudslide in Studio City, CA (Anadolu via Getty Images)

"The hillsides are soaked, some of them are still moving," warned Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass at a news conference on Tuesday evening. "So hopefully no more homes will be damaged, but it's too early to tell."

The weather began relenting on Tuesday with evacuation orders lifted for homes in flood- and mudslide-prone areas, including a Los Angeles County canyon left scarred by a 2022 fire that had little or no vegetation remaining to help hold the soil in place. After a heavy cloudburst forecast Wednesday afternoon or night that could bring yet more rain, Southern California is expected to begin drying out on Thursday heading into a sunny Superbowl weekend.

Workers attempt to clear a downtown storm drain as a powerful long-duration atmospheric river storm, the second in less than a week, continues to impact Southern California (Getty Images)

Stormy weather rolled into Northern California last weekend before moving south and stalling. Throughout the state, seven storm-related deaths had been reported, including four people crushed by toppling trees and someone who was swept up Tuesday in a swollen Tijuana River channel near the border with Mexico, immigration officials said. The California Highway Patrol said a 69-year-old man died Monday after his truck went down an embankment and filled with water in Yucaipa, about 80 miles east of Los Angeles.

Tips to stop windscreen freezing and prevent blades from sticking to window

As the latest weather front moved east, it prompted warnings across the state line. Parts of northern Arizona stretching southeast toward New Mexico were under a winter storm warning through 5pm Wednesday and a wide swath of west-central Arizona, including Phoenix, remained under a flood watch until Thursday morning.

Fiona Leishman