Parts of Ventura County, Calif., were evacuated early Thursday as heavy rainfall inundated roads and homes in the region, local authorities said, while forecasters warned that the storm would continue to pummel parts of Southern California through Friday evening.
Ventura County was hit hard overnight by a storm system that is moving along the California coast, with downtown Oxnard receiving a month’s worth of rainfall — more than 3 inches — in less than an hour, according to the National Weather Service in Los Angeles.
An evacuation order and evacuation warnings were issued in parts of the city of Port Hueneme in Ventura County. At 1:28 a.m., the National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for parts of Ventura County including Oxnard because of an intense thunderstorm, but no tornado was detected. Those warnings, and the evacuation order, have since been lifted.
The city of Oxnard said on Thursday that the heavy burst of rain had inundated many homes and roads, and that some parts of the county were still experiencing periods of “moderate” rain. Some vehicles became stuck on the roads, leading to evacuations and rescues, according to local authorities.
Further north, in Santa Barbara, many roads were flooded, the authorities said on social media, including one highway ramp that was closed after mud and debris spilled into the road. Videos posted to social media appeared to show people leaping between cars marooned on flooded roads.
Preliminary data suggests the downpours in some regions were “probably the heaviest downpours ever observed in that part of Southern California,” Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a briefing on Thursday. That rate of rainfall, he said, neared those that preceded the catastrophic 2018 Montecito debris flows.
“I’m not saying that is necessarily in the cards,” Dr. Swain said, noting that the rainfall had also followed severe fires in Montecito. “But this is the kind of rainfall that we’re talking about.”
What’s next?
The storm will continue to affect parts of Southern California through Friday and will gradually move into the Southwest, the Weather Prediction Center said. Parts of the Los Angeles basin and the coastal ranges of Southern California, forecasters said, could experience “locally significant flash flooding.” Debris flows and mudslides are also possible.
Storm activity will be focused on Santa Barbara County, Ventura County and Los Angeles County. Up to an inch of rain could fall per hour in some places, the National Weather Service said. On Thursday afternoon, several counties in Southern California remained under flood warnings and watches.
The National Weather Service advised people in the Santa Barbara area on Thursday morning to stay off the roads, warning that heavy rain there could fall at one inch per hour.
Flash and urban flooding and mud or debris flows will be a concern through Thursday, the National Weather Service said.
Here’s what to expect:
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The cloudy, cool and wet weather is expected to last in Southern California until at least Friday.
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After the storm moves over the Pacific, it is expected to turn inland over the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico by Saturday.
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The weather is expected to dry in Southern California over the weekend, and warmer temperatures are forecast for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Judson Jones contributed reporting.
