A powerful rainstorm is hitting the California coast causing dangerous travel conditions as the holiday rush begins.
Significant travel delays and road closures are likely, as there is a high risk of road flooding, especially in low-lying areas. Mudslides are also possible.
In this photo provided by the California Highway Patrol, fallen boulders from Echo Summit block U.S. Highway 50 in El Dorado County, Calif., early Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023.
AP/California Highway Patrol handout
The storm will last from Wednesday to Friday.
Two to five inches of rain is forecast for the Los Angeles area. Five to 10 inches of rainfall is likely on and below south-facing foothills and coastal slopes.
The National Weather Service issued its second-highest flood threat forecast for Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, which are the bull’s-eye of the storm. A strong thunderstorm was expected Wednesday night in the areas, with wind gusts up to 50 mph, and the possibility of a “weak tornado,” the NWS said. The agency warned the winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around objects that aren’t secured.
A little further south, in Los Angeles, the NWS issued a flood advisory in the 7 p.m. PT hour, that was expected to remain in effect until nearly midnight.
Flash flooding is possible in and around recent burn scars (spots damaged by wildfires).
West coast storm.
ABC News
Drivers should also be mindful of wind gusts, which could reach 50 mph.
By Friday night, the rain will end in Southern California and move east to Arizona. Flooding is possible in Phoenix.
