Harry and Meghan's neighborhood is under a flash flood warning as a superstorm hits Southern California.
Heavy rains have flooded parts of California, bringing the threat of flooding and mudslides to the region, the National Weather Service said.
Thunderstorms hit Santa Barbara and Montecito, where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex live with their children.
In nearby Oxnard, residents reported being trapped in their cars as several streets in the area were flooded.
A tornado warning is in effect for central Ventura County until 2 a.m. local time. Meteorologists have warned that a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was near Oxnard early Thursday morning, moving north at speeds of 15 mph.
Harry and Meghan's neighborhood is under a flash flood warning as a superstorm hits Southern California. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pictured at the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf in September
Heavy rains have flooded parts of California, bringing the threat of flooding and mudslides to the region, the National Weather Service said
Thunderstorms are moving across Santa Barbara and Montecito, where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex live with their children, and a flash flood warning is currently in effect
An Oxnard resident shares footage of the heavy rains that hit the area this morning
The storm, stronger and more widespread than the storm that hit earlier in the week, is expected to trigger a sluggish season of rain, just a year after California was flooded by a series of atmospheric rivers that refilled reservoirs that flowed through had been emptied due to a prolonged drought.
The offshore-centered Pacific storm gradually moved southeast, sending rainbows ashore and hitting the central coast particularly hard after sweeping through the San Francisco Bay Area. Flooding was reported as far away as San Diego.
The rain in California came as the Northeast grappled with the impact of storms that brought flooding and downed trees, knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people and left at least five people dead.
By late Wednesday morning, more than 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) of rain had fallen in the Santa Ynez Mountains — the steep backdrop of Santa Barbara County's “American Riviera” communities — and more heavy rain was expected to follow would.
The storm was very unstable and forecasters issued intermittent marine warnings for coastal waters on Wednesday due to severe thunderstorms that could produce water spouts.
Southbound lanes on US Highway 101 in South San Francisco, California, flooded during a storm on Wednesday, December 20, 2023
People walk through wet conditions at Seacliff State Beach in Aptos, California, on Wednesday, December 20, 2023
Santa Cruz County Public Works crews clear a sewer in the Rio Del Mar neighborhood of Aptos, California, on Wednesday, December 20, 2023
A surfer jumps into the water near Steamer Lane on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, as storm clouds gather in Santa Cruz, California
The speed of the storm was also difficult to predict. The weather office for the San Diego region has pushed back the date of the heaviest rain there to Thursday and Friday.
Flood warnings were issued from the central California coast to San Diego, warning of a high risk of road flooding that could cause travel delays, as well as rock slides, mudslides and debris flows due to wildfire scars.
The severe weather could pose a problem for some of the 9.5 million Southern Californians who will travel over the holidays, according to the Auto Club.
Due to the relative warmth of the storm, snowfall was largely confined to the high elevations of the southern Sierra Nevada and some mountain ranges in Southern California.
The California Highway Patrol office in South Lake Tahoe said in social media posts that the storm still “wreaked havoc,” causing rain, sleet, snow and icy roads.