Southern California was being pounded by a major storm Thursday morning, bringing evacuation warnings and fears of mudslides.
Officials issued flood and severe thunderstorm warnings for parts of the region Thursday morning as steady rain fell.
There were reports of some debris flows in burn areas as well as some scattered hail. Intense bursts of rain caused scattered street flooding.
Wind gust were forecast to top 50 mph in some areas.
The worst of the rain should move out later this morning, but officials are warning of a miserable commute.
It’s expected to dump 1 to 2 inches of rain along the coast and up to 4 inches in the valleys at rates that could cause problems.
There is a possibility of heavier showers and thunderstorms hitting the southwest-facing mountains and foothills, areas that are prone to such storm patterns. Damaging winds, heavy downpours, hail and even a weak tornado are possible, said Rose Schoenfeld, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
“The most likely outcome is that we’re going to see shallow to minor debris flows, minor flooding and some amount of ponding and flooding on roadways,” Schoenfeld said.
However, she added, there’s also a 30% to 50% chance of significant flooding and debris flows for areas in the flood watch, particularly the burn scars. Officials have said there’s a high chance of rainfall rates exceeding 0.75 of an inch per hour, which could trigger significant debris flows in fire-scarred areas.
“This could include impacts such as roads being covered by mud or water, cars stuck in mud or water, and some amount of structures threatened in burn scars,” Schoenfeld said.
Evacuation warnings and orders have been issued for Los Angeles communities near the Eaton, Palisades and Sunset fire burn zones ahead of the rain.
In the Palisades burn scar, the Getty Villa area, the Highlands, the Bienveneda area near Temescal Canyon Park, Rivas Canyon/Will Rogers State Park, Mandeville Canyon above Tanners Road, Old Ranch Road and Rustic Creek are under evacuation warnings starting Wednesday morning.
Areas east and south of Runyon Canyon in the Sunset fire zone are also under an evacuation warning. In the Hurst fire area, an evacuation warning has been issued for Olive Lane in the Oakridge Mobile Home Park, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Several neighborhoods in Malibu are also under evacuation warnings, according to the city.
The areas include Carbon Canyon, Carbon Beach East, La Costa Beach/La Costa (hillside), Las Flores Creek, Las Flores Mesa, eastern Malibu, Big Rock, Las Tunas Beach, Topanga Beach Road, Carbon Beach Terrace, Carbon Beach, Rambla Pacifico, Carbon Beach West/Malibu Beach, Sweetwater Canyon, Sweetwater Mesa, Serra Retreat, Malibu Creek, Cross Creek, Malibu Colony, Civic Center, Malibu Knolls, Malibu Road, Malibu Country Estates, Puerco Canyon and Piuma Road.
“Residents should prepare to evacuate now due to the significant risk of flash flooding, debris flows and mudslides. These hazards pose a serious threat to life and property,” the city wrote in a post on X.
In the Eaton fire burn scar, officials have warned residents to prepare to leave their homes ahead of the storm.
The city of Sierra Madre issued mandatory evacuation orders for homes directly below the Sierra Madre and Lannan debris basins. Evacuation warnings have been issued for other hillside-adjacent neighborhoods in the community. Those evacuations will remain in effect through 6 p.m. Thursday, according to the city.
Evacuation warnings have also been issued for homes near the San Gabriel foothills in Altadena.
Authorities have visited properties in areas that are at especially high risk to issue specific evacuation orders, according to a news release issued by Mayor Karen Bass’ office on Wednesday.
“While we prepare for another storm headed towards L.A., I want to urge Angelenos to stay vigilant, especially in burn scar areas,” Bass said in a statement.
