Meteorologists have warned that powerful storms that wreaked havoc in California and killed three people will continue to rattle the state for a third day.
The Pineapple Express, a weather system common across much of the Sunshine State, moved into Los Angeles on Sunday just in time for the Grammys.
Since then, the city has been inundated with 25 centimeters of rain – 75 percent of the annual rainfall in just five days, resulting in 120 mudslides by Monday night.
Meanwhile, roads 130 miles down the coast in San Diego have turned into rivers and officials warned residents not to drive to work Tuesday morning.
Dramatic dashcam footage that captured the moment a white SUV fell onto its roof on the 5 Freeway, which connects Los Angeles to Brea, shows why.
In parts of the Sunshine State – including the Beverly Crest neighborhood (pictured) – roads were flooded with mudslides and brown water.
Meteorologists have warned that powerful storms that wreaked havoc in California and killed three people will continue to rattle the state for a third day
The Pineapple Express, a weather system that dominates much of the Sunshine State, moved into Los Angeles on Sunday just in time for the Grammys
Authorities warned people to remain on high alert and most of Southern California remained under a flood watch
The video, captured through a rain-fogged lens, shows a vehicle in the far left lane hydroplaning before skidding and tipping over the center divider.
Miraculously, no one was injured, even though the car ended up upside down, according to the California Highway Patrol.
However, three people have died in the severe weather conditions elsewhere in the state.
Two men were crushed by trees that fell in gale-force winds on Sunday in Carmichael, a Sacramento suburb, and Boulder Creek in Santa Cruz County.
Police are also investigating the death of another man in Yuba City, about 100 miles northeast of San Francisco, who was found under a redwood tree in his yard.
In San Diego, streets have turned into rivers
ABC10 named the man as 82-year-old David Gomes.
The storm system continues to hover over much of Southern California and forecasters have warned it is likely to last into Wednesday.
It has moved slightly eastward since Monday, according to aerial photography from the Pineapple Express, meaning star-studded neighborhoods in Santa Barbara, including Montecito, where Harry and Meghan live, are now safe from the worst of the rain.
However, meteorologists expect that there will be isolated showers and thunderstorms at regular intervals throughout Tuesday.
Most will bring light to moderate rain to the state, but there is still a risk of short, heavy downpours, dropping up to an inch of rain per hour in many locations.
Authorities warned people to remain on high alert and most of Southern California remained under a flood watch.
Swollen and fast-flowing streams and rivers “increase the risk of drowning and the need for rapid water rescue,” the weather service said.
The current storm is the second atmospheric river-fueled weather system to hit the state in recent days.
On Monday, Los Angeles was inundated by rains that sent mud and boulders down hillsides dotted with multimillion-dollar homes, while people living in homeless camps in many parts of the city struggled for safety.
Near the Hollywood Hills, floodwaters carried mud, rocks and household items downhill through Studio City, city officials said.
Sixteen people were evacuated from nine houses on a street in the Studio City neighborhood where George Clooney lives with his wife Amal and their two children.
Roads have turned into rivers in parts of Los Angeles and San Diego, and officials warned residents not to drive to work Tuesday morning
Video shows a white SUV overturning on the northbound freeway near Whittier Boulevard around 4 p.m. Sunday
The storm ripped through Northern California over the weekend, killing three people who were crushed by falling trees, then stalled over the South
The Pineapple Express storm system has wreaked havoc in the Sunshine State
“It looks like a river that has been here for years,” said Keki Mingus, whose neighboring homes were damaged. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Drake Livingston, who lives in the Beverly Crest neighborhood, was watching a movie around midnight when a friend alerted him to the flooding.
“We looked outside and noticed there was a foot of running water and it was starting to seep through the doors,” said Mr Livingston, whose car was found submerged in mud on Monday morning.
The danger is not yet over despite a forecast decrease in precipitation, warned Ariel Cohen, the meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service Bureau in Los Angeles.
“The ground is extremely saturated, supersaturated,” he said at a news conference Monday afternoon. “It can’t retain any additional water before it slides off.”
“It won’t take much rain for more landslides, mudslides, rock falls and other debris flows to occur.”
In LA, an evacuation order remained in effect for some residents of a canyon area devastated by a fire in 2022.
The area is at increased risk of mud and debris flows because the area has been burned and cleared of bushes and trees that could hold it back, authorities said.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said 1,000 firefighters battled more than 300 mudslides, in addition to more than 100 reports of flooding and rescuing motorists stranded in vehicles on flooded roads.
Beds were created in the emergency shelters for the city's nearly 75,000 homeless population.
Over the weekend, the storm flooded streets, toppled trees and triggered water rescues in the San Francisco Bay Area
Authorities warned people to remain on high alert and most of Southern California remained under a flood watch
“It won’t take much rain for more landslides, mudslides, rockfalls and other debris flows to occur,” warned meteorologist Ariel Cohen
Floodwaters inundated many roads in California during three days of intense storms
A view of the muddy street in the Beverly Crest neighborhood on Monday as atmospheric river storms hit Los Angeles, California
Motorists have been warned not to drive in Los Angeles because conditions are so dangerous
In the Beverly Crest neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, the streets are clogged with mud
Emergency crews rescued people from fast-moving water in various parts of Southern California, including 16 people and five cats in Los Angeles County alone, authorities said.
About an hour's drive east of Los Angeles, two homeless people were rescued Monday after spending the night on a small island in the Santa Ana River in San Bernardino.
Over the weekend, the storm flooded streets, toppled trees and triggered water rescues in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for most of coastal Southern California and on Monday President Joe Biden pledged to provide any federal aid needed.
“We will have any help along the way as soon as you request it,” he told Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a phone call.