A deadly Pacific storm, the second “Pineapple Express” weather system to hit the West Coast in less than a week, dumped torrential rain on Southern California on Monday, causing flooding of roads and more than 120 mudslides.
At least three people died in the recent storm.
There was also the most dramatic rescue effort when an LA Fire Department helicopter hovered over a raging Los Angeles River to rescue a man who had ventured into the torrent to save his dog.
The man was brought to safety and flown to a hospital. The dog was also able to swim to safety.
The normally calm LA River came to life with the onset of rain and was about to burst its banks. More than 30 centimeters of rain fell in just 24 hours and the storm is not expected to ease until later in the week.
Even Hollywood A-listers were not spared, as homes in the Hollywood Hills and Beverly Hills were at risk of both flooding and mudslides as mud and boulders tumbled down the slopes on which multimillion-dollar homes stood.
In a dramatic river rescue, an LA Fire Department helicopter team pulled a man from the turbulent waters of the Los Angeles River after his dog fell in
The man jumped in to save his dog when the animal was swept away by the current
Firefighters were able to rescue both the dog and the man, who were rescued in drier terrain
The Los Angeles River appears to have swollen from storm runoff as a powerful storm hit Southern California
A pedestrian walks across the Los Angeles River, swollen by storm surges
People view the storm-swelling Los Angeles River after more than a foot of rain fell
The storm is causing widespread flooding, landslides and power outages and dumping heavy rains across the region
On Monday afternoon, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency due to the flooding
At least three people have died in California's historic flooding, as multimillion-dollar mansions were devastated by rivers of flowing mud and boulders. Flooding in the Los Angeles River is pictured
The Los Angeles River is rising above normal levels as it carries stormwater toward the Pacific Ocean
A person walks to the edge of the raging Los Angeles River as the second and stronger of two atmospheric river storms floods Los Angeles
A man walks his dog along the banks of the Los Angeles River, which carries stormwater downstream
The second of back-to-back atmospheric rivers floods California, flooding streets and knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of residents
A few walks along the banks of the LA River, which looked like it might burst its banks
This is what the normally sleepy LA River looks like, flowing through 14 cities, from the San Fernando Valley through downtown Los Angeles and south to Long Beach
Rain and high-altitude snow continue in Northern and Southern California. The area of heaviest rainfall will be concentrated in Southern California on Monday night
On Monday afternoon, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency due to the flooding.
The flooding caused concern for the area's large homeless population. Many of them set up camp along the river and on small rocky outcrops and bush-covered islands.
First responders patrolled the LA River and rapid rescue teams were ready to respond.
The river flows through 14 cities from the San Fernando Valley through downtown Los Angeles and south to Long Beach, where it flows into the Pacific Ocean.
For decades, the 51-mile-long waterway existed largely as a no-man's land, a fenced-off, trash-strewn scar that ran through the city.
It has occasionally served as a backdrop for Hollywood films – including “Grease” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” – and is a common canvas for graffiti artists.
Tourists are pictured on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in front of the famous Mann's Chinese Theater during Monday's storm
A family of Argentine tourists are pictured on the Hollywood Walk of Fame during the storm: Nicholas DeMaro (40), wife Meleni DeMaro (42), Joaquin DeMaro (12) and Francisco DeMaro (10).
Pictured is Ballona Creek with water levels well above normal due to the storm
In the photo, tourists in Santa Monica are seen looking over the beach during the storm
A section of Highway 405 was closed due to a landslide caused by the flooding
The Santa Monica Incline was closed due to damage from the storm
Pictured is Ballona Creek with water levels well above normal
Tourists are pictured on a gray day in Santa Monica during the storm
Los Angeles officials reported 120 mudslides and debris flows across the city as of Monday evening, with at least 25 structures damaged by heavy rains or mudslides.
The luxury homes and various upscale condominiums built on the slopes of the Hollywood Hills, Beverly Hills and Topanga Canyon were among the hardest hit by the landslides.
Standing in a neighborhood where cars were half-buried in dirt and debris, Beverly Hills resident Jeb Johenning said he noticed three cracks had opened on a hillside near his home, forming “a “Mudslide” released down the slope.
“I was driving here last night, right after the Grammys, and by chance my neighbor who was in this SUV behind us was being dropped off at his house and the driver was coming down the hill and the mud was chasing him driver,” recalled Johnning.
- So far, parts of Los Angeles County have received more than 10 inches of rain since Sunday
- Nearly a foot of rain fell in some areas such as Bel Air and Sepulveda Canyon
- The fatalities also include two Californians struck by falling trees, including a 41-year-old Sacramento County man and a 45-year-old Santa Cruz County resident
- The storm system brought heavy snowfall to the mountains of California and contributed to snowpack accumulation in the Sierra Nevada
- In response to flooding, 100 homeless people were evacuated from a tiny apartment complex in Los Angeles on Monday
- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said during a press conference that the evacuation of the homeless population was underway
Vehicles remain trapped by a mudslide as a violent atmospheric river storm hits Southern California in Beverly Hills
An SUV is trapped in a mudslide in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles
The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for several California neighborhoods until 4 p.m. Tuesday. A fallen tree lies on top of a car in Los Angeles on Monday
Approximately 2.5 million people in the Los Angeles area, including the Hollywood Hills and Beverly Hills, received nearly a foot of rain
A maelstrom forms around a city worker in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles on Monday
Evacuation orders have been lifted for Santa Barbara County and downgraded for Ventura County. Firefighters rescue a homeless woman from floodwaters in San Bernardino on Monday
Nevertheless, the overall extent of property damage in the region appeared to be less than would have been expected given the record rainfall.
Rainfall amounts decreased as the storm lasted, and last summer's wildfire season in Southern California was mild compared to some previous years, allowing more slopes and canyon walls to withstand heavy soaking without collapsing.
Flooding posed a significant threat, with rescue workers bringing dozens of people to safety across the country, mostly motorists who were trapped in their cars by rising water as they tried to drive through flooded roads.
Evacuation orders were in effect for several parts of the city where the risk of flash floods and landslides was particularly high
Harry and Meghan, George Clooney, Lady Gaga and Halle Berry were among high-profile celebrities whose villas were threatened by the severe storms.
Early Monday, LA firefighters rescued 16 people from nine properties in Studio City – the same neighborhood where George Clooney lives in his $2.2 million luxury apartment.
Harry and Meghan's $14.65 million Montecito estate in Santa Barbara Country, north of LA, was also at risk of flooding, but warnings eased on Monday afternoon.
Star-studded Malibu was also hit by torrential rain as the city was under a coastal flood warning.
An SUV towing a trailer lies in the rocks on the banks of Cajon Creek near Devore on Monday
Jeffrey Raines clears debris from a mudslide at his parents' house during a rainstorm in LA
Mud and debris are scattered on Fryman Road during a rainstorm in Studio City, California
A car was damaged by debris from a storm in Studio City, California, on Monday
Storm damage from mud, rock and debris flows along Lockridge Road in Studio City
A man walks past makeshift tents during heavy rain on Skid Row, one of the largest homeless populations in the United States, in Los Angeles
A storm passes over the Golden Gate Bridge near Sausalito in Northern California
Extreme weather warnings for flooding, strong winds and winter storms have been issued in parts of California and southwestern Arizona, home to about 35 million people.
The National Weather Service recorded staggering amounts of rainfall from the storm, which hit Northern California with hurricane-force wind gusts, along with heavy rainfall that intensified as the system moved south on Monday.
Nearly a foot of rain was measured over a 24-hour period at the University of California-Los Angeles.
“We are talking about one of the wettest storm systems to impact the greater Los Angeles area on record,” Ariel Cohen, NWS chief meteorologist in LA, said at an evening news conference. “If you go back to the 1870s, this is one of the top three.”
President Joe Biden spoke with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Bass and pledged to provide federal aid to the hardest-hit areas.
“We need every Angeleno to use common sense, play it safe and stay out of our way,” Bass said.
Bass said she visited some of the areas affected by mudslides and debris.
“I spent time with our fire chief, walking around town and looking at what is really devastating to a lot of homeowners and residents,” Bass said
Los Angeles police reported numerous traffic accidents with injuries since the storm began, many more than usual, while the city's fire chief, Kristin Crowley, said her teams had responded to at least 130 floods.
People walk in the rain as a storm passes and the Golden Gate Bridge can be seen in the distance
Emergency crews clean the street in Long Beach, California on Monday. A powerful storm fueled by an atmospheric river sweeps across Southern California, causing widespread flooding
Storm damage from mud, rock and debris flows along Lockridge Road in Studio City
A large mudslide that occurred Monday at the intersection of Beverly Drive and Beverly Place in the Beverly Crest neighborhood of Los Angeles damaged homes and cars
A firefighter walks past cars inundated by a mudslide in the Beverly Crest area of LA on Monday
Submerged vehicles are photographed after a mudslide in the Beverly Crest neighborhood
A first responder helps a resident evacuate a neighborhood after a mudslide
A man carries an umbrella while walking in San Francisco on Monday. The storm flooded streets and downed trees and power lines
A man walks his dog along the banks of the Los Angeles River, carrying rainwater downstream
A truck drives through a flooded street during a rainstorm in Santa Barbara
Workers clear a tree that fell on a home during high winds and rain in San Jose, California
Search and rescue workers examine a car surrounded by floodwaters as heavy rains caused the Guadalupe River to swell in San Jose, California. There was no one in the vehicle
The heavy rains with heavy snowfall in high mountainous areas were carried to California by a storm system that forecasters call an “atmospheric river,” a huge stream of air of dense moisture that is carried inland from the Pacific Ocean.
Winds gusting up to 75 miles per hour toppled trees and utility lines in the San Francisco Bay Area and California's central coast on Sunday, knocking out power to about 875,000 homes in that region at the peak of the storm.
Around 215,000 people across the state were without power late Monday evening.
At least two people were killed by fallen trees – an 82-year-old man in the former gold mining town of Yuba City and a 45-year-old man in Boulder Creek in the coastal Santa Cruz Mountains.
The greatest flash flood threat on Monday was concentrated in Southern California, according to the NWS, as the system slowly rotated and moved further inland California, but meteorologists said “catastrophic” impacts were unlikely.
“There is widespread, significant flooding and locally severe and severe flooding, but nothing that is completely crazy,” says UCLA meteorologist and climate scientist Daniel Swain.