Life-threatening torrential rain in Southern California triggers flash flood warnings, unleashes seafoam storm

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Los Angeles witnessed a storm of unprecedented scale on Monday, February 6, setting a new rainfall record.

The deluge triggered landslides, sending mud and boulders tumbling down hillsides studded with high-value residences. Meanwhile, individuals residing in the city's numerous homeless encampments were left scrambling for shelter.

The storm left approximately 710,000 people across the state without power by Monday evening,  as per AP News.

This was the second storm driven by an atmospheric river to strike the state within a matter of days. The storm even spawned a "Seafoam storm", where forceful winds whipped up foam and hurled it onto bystanders on the shore.

Torrential rain in Southern California triggers flash flood warnings

The storm was the result of an atmospheric river, defined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as "relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics".

On average, an atmospheric river carries a volume of water equivalent to the flow at the mouth of the Mississippi River, as explained by Collin Rugg, social media influencer, on X.

Almost the entirety of Southern California was under the threat of flash floods, with advisories and watches in place. This included the Los Angeles area, which had already received between 5 and 10 inches (12.7 to 25.4 centimeters) of rainfall, with more predicted by the National Weather Service.

By Monday afternoon, the downtown measuring station had recorded 6.7 inches of rain, nearly half the annual average of 14.25 inches.

This marked it as the third-wettest two-day period since 1877. The storm, which initially impacted Northern California, has so far been linked to three fatalities, as per AP News.

Rescue and evacuation efforts underway

On Monday, rescue teams saved people from rapidly moving water in various parts of Southern California, including 16 individuals and five cats in Los Angeles County alone.

Two homeless individuals who had spent the night on a small island in the Santa Ana River in San Bernardino, approximately 55 miles (88.51 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, were also rescued.

During a press conference, officials stated that although the intensity of the rain is anticipated to decrease by Tuesday, the threat of flooding continues to be high.

"The ground is extremely saturated, supersaturated," stated Ariel Cohen, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service bureau in Los Angeles.

"It's not able to hold any additional water before sliding. It's not going to take much rain for additional landslides, mudslides, rockslides and other debris flows to occur."

Close to the Hollywood Hills, floodwaters carried mud, rocks, and household items downhill into Studio City, resulting in damage to a minimum of two homes, as per city officials. A total of sixteen residents were reportedly evacuated.

The Los Angeles Fire Department disclosed that 1,000 firefighters were dealing with 49 debris flows, 130 flooding incidents, several structure fires, and multiple rescues of motorists trapped in their vehicles.

Drake Livingston, a resident of the Beverly Crest neighborhood, was reportedly notified about the flooding by a friend while he was watching a movie around midnight.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass reportedly cautioned residents to avoid driving due to the hazards posed by fallen trees and electrical lines on flooded roads.

Shelters have been expanding their capacity to house the city's homeless population, which is close to 75,000 individuals.

Tony Sanz, who had spent the night in a city park, moved to higher ground at dawn as the floodwaters started to rise around his tent.

California storm leads to several spills, fatalities

On Monday, authorities reported several spills, including a discharge of about 5 million gallons of raw sewage in the Rancho Dominguez area near Compton.

The majority of this untreated sewage flowed into a channel leading to the Pacific Ocean, resulting in the closure of a 7-mile stretch of Long Beach for swimming.

Earlier, commuters at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles had to wade through several inches of floodwater. Despite the weather, most Los Angeles public schools remained open, although some districts were closed.

The storm also led to the closure of several theme parks, including Knott's Berry Farm, Six Flags Magic Mountain, SeaWorld San Diego, and an early closure of Disneyland.

Over the weekend, the storm caused widespread street flooding, tree falls, and water rescues in the San Francisco Bay area.

Tragically, two men were killed by falling trees in Carmichael, a suburb of Sacramento, and in Boulder Creek in Santa Cruz County. Another man was found dead under a redwood tree in his backyard in Yuba City, northeast of San Francisco.

Governor Gavin Newsom reportedly declared a state of emergency for most of coastal Southern California and opened emergency shelters.

Off the coast of Long Beach, 19 people were rescued after their 40-foot sailboat lost its mast in gale-force winds. Meanwhile, heavy snowfall was reported throughout the Sierra Nevada, and motorists were advised to avoid mountain roads.

Internet reacts to deadly rain in Southern California

Numerous online users have reacted to the weather post shared. 

One user asked, "Has CA built more reservoirs to store this surplus water for the dry seasons to come yet?"

Another person remarked, "This wouldn’t have happened if Americans stopped driving gas vehicles."

"So it’s not the climate changes fault? I’ll be damned, a force of nature that’s just that. Amazing. Hopefully power gets restored quickly," opined another.

"Atmospheric River". Translation: The Wrath of God," reacted another.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.