Brutal Storm Has Southern California Reeling, and It Isn’t Done Yet

Cars drive through heavy rain in Newport Beach, Calif., on Feb. 5, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

The powerful storm that slammed California Sunday and Monday is expected to keep dumping rain on the already saturated state for at least one more day.

Showers are expected to continue through the night with a 20 percent to 30 percent chance of thunderstorms possibly through Wednesday, the National Weather Service said on its website.

A flood watch remains in place for Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties, the weather service said, and the mountains will get more snow.

As the storm lost some strength Monday, evacuation orders in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties were either downgraded or canceled.

Santa Barbara County officials warned, however, that several roads may remain hazardous and ground saturation may cause landslides.

A flood warning was also issued for the San Fernando Valley, Glendale, and Pasadena until 6 p.m. Monday.

Trees toppling amid high winds and soggy ground have killed at least three people, and more than 400,000 homes and businesses have lost power, mostly in Northern and Central California.

“The hazards of this storm have not passed,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley told the Los Angeles Times.

Her department responded to 130 flooding incidents, 49 mud and debris flows, half a dozen fires, and several water rescues of stranded motorists, she told the newspaper.

The atmospheric river has left a statewide trail of damage, and though it has weakened, Ryan Kittell of the National Weather Service told the Los Angeles Times he does not foresee clear skies until after Friday.