Lingering atmospheric river soaks California, threatening more flooding and mudslides
A deadly atmospheric river storm lingered over Southern California for a third day on Tuesday, as rain threatened to trigger more flooding and mudslides.
LOS ANGELES — A deadly atmospheric river storm lingered over Southern California for a third day on Tuesday, soaking the region with rains that threatened to trigger more flooding and mudslides as the weather system crept toward the Desert Southwest.
After a day of record-breaking rainfall across the region, a flood watch for Los Angeles County was extended until early Wednesday. A flash-flood warning was posted for the Orange County coast, and flood advisories were issued as far south as San Diego and the U.S.-Mexico border.
A final but short-lived burst of heavy rain was forecast to douse Southern California again on Wednesday afternoon and evening before showers taper off by the week’s end.
As rain fell throughout Los Angeles, work crews and residents were cleaning up damage from 475 mudslides and nearly 400 fallen trees reported across the nation’s second-most populous city as of Tuesday evening, authorities said.
Downed trees and utility lines knocked out electricity to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses, including 156,000 utility customers who remained without power in Los Angeles as of Tuesday morning. Service had been restored to most of those by nightfall, city officials said.
Rating: 5