Three dead as heavy rain, flash floods hit California

Further downpours and high winds are forecast for California after a series of storms hit the US state. Debris from storm damage covers a car in Wrightwood, California Firefighters clear a path for a resident in Wrightwood, California They brought torrential rain, causing flash floods and warnings of debris across fire-scarred areas in the south of the state. Driven by an atmospheric river, known as 'the Pineapple Express', which moves heavy moisture from Hawaii to the US West Coast, the storms were forecast to dump one month's worth of rain on California. Yesterday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said that southern California, including Los Angeles, the second-most populous US city, was at risk of excessive rainfall. It warned of a "broad plume of moisture" producing heavy rain in the state. "Numerous flash flooding events are possible. In addition, many streams may flood, potentially affecting larger rivers. The flooding may include debris flows in or near recently burned areas," the service said, referring to areas affected by wildfires. The rain is forecast to continue through today, the service said. The NWS warned that some areas could see winds with gusts of up to 88.5km/h. Authorities declared a state of emergency in several counties, including Los Angeles. "We're not out of it yet. Rain continues to fall across LA County making roadways, waterways and flood channels extremely dangerous. "Check conditions before venturing out," Los Angeles County officials said. Heavy rain began lashing southern California on Wednesday, where some communities had already seen 25.4cm of rain in the first storm, forecasters said. At least three people died in storm-related incidents, including a man killed by a falling tree, the Los Angeles Times reported. In San Bernardino County, adjacent to Los Angeles, authorities said they were working to divert the flow of floodwater. Muddy water streamed through the mountain town of Wrightwood, trapping people in their homes, said Christopher Prater, spokesperson for the county fire department. "Fire department personnel were out there rescuing people, assisting them from their houses, getting them to safety, also while affecting rescues from people that were stranded in their vehicles," he said, with work going on into the night. Fire-burn scar zones, which are less able to absorb water due to vegetation being stripped from them, were under special alert - including the coastal areas of Pacific Palisades and Malibu, both still recovering from devastating wildfires in January. In northern California, a dangerous storm was tracked developing early yesterday morning in the San Francisco Bay Area, with an emergency alert for flash flooding issued, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The NWS office in San Francisco warned that a severe thunderstorm near Santa Cruz could spawn a tornado. The service was also predicting that a storm could bring heavy snowfall to the Sierra Nevada Mountains along California's eastern border.

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