Lingering thunderstorms bring flooding risk to California
A powerful atmospheric river had moved mostly through California after causing at least six deaths and flooding much of the state, but persistent thunderstorms brought the risk of mudslides to areas of Los Angeles County recently ravaged by natural disasters.
LOS ANGELES– A powerful atmospheric river had moved mostly through California after causing at least six deaths and flooding much of the state, but persistent thunderstorms brought the risk of mudslides to areas of Los Angeles County recently ravaged by wildfires.
Flood advisories remained in effect through Sunday afternoon for Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, where localized showers were still possible after heavy downpours Friday and Saturday.
“Due to heavy rains in recent days, it will not take as much rain to cause additional flooding and landslides,” the National Weather Service said Sunday.
Authorities as of Sunday were still searching for a 5-year-old girl who was swept into the ocean Friday by 15-foot waves at a national beach in Monterey County. The girl’s father, Yuji Hu, 39, of Calgary, Alberta, was killed while trying to save his daughter, sheriff’s officials said.
In Sutter County, north of Sacramento, a 71-year-old man died Friday after his vehicle was swept away by a flooded bridge, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Off the coast of San Diego, a wooden boat that was probably carrying migrants from Mexico to the United States capsized in rough seas, leaving at least four people dead and four hospitalized, the Coast Guard announced Saturday.
The long plume of tropical moisture that formed over the Pacific Ocean began flooding the San Francisco Bay area Wednesday evening, then unleashed widespread rain over Southern California Friday and Saturday. More than 4 inches of rain fell on coastal Santa Barbara County as the storm approached Los Angeles. Parts of the Sierra Nevada received more than a foot of snow.
The weather service said scattered rain could persist through Tuesday in the southern part of the state. Another storm was expected on Thursday.
