Atmospheric river lashes California with heavy rain and wind

Authorities in Sacramento County in northern California say a man died on Sunday after a tree fell on him in his yard. 

Sacramento County Coroner Rosa Vega told CNN on Monday the county has confirmed one “storm-related death.”

Vega identified the victim as Chad Ensey, 41, of Carmichael and said he died Sunday at Mercy San Juan Medical Center. According to the coroner, Ensey died “due to blunt force injuries after a tree fell on him in his backyard.”

Sacramento County spokesperson Matt Robinson told CNN that at least 145 trees have fallen in the county since yesterday. California continues to experience intense wind and rain from a ferocious atmospheric river, causing flooding, power outages, and damage to buildings.

Another round of heavier rain started moving into the Los Angeles area Monday afternoon, triggering a flash flood warning for more than 2.5 million people in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Rain was falling at a rate of 0.25 inches to 0.50 inches per hour on top of areas that have already received up to 10 inches of rain since Sunday. That’s raising the risk for more mudslides and flash flooding. 

Rain is expected to continue through Monday across the area. 

Evacuation orders in Santa Barbara County are canceled as of 12 pm PT (3 p.m. ET), the county announced in a post on X Monday.

“Residents may now return home,” the post says. “Please be aware of loose and falling rocks, and wet road conditions.”

The Santa Barbara Airport also reopened Monday after the airfield experienced flooding from the storm, they announced in a post on X. 

Passengers should check with their airlines for status on their flights, according to the airport. 

Ventura County also downgraded one evacuation order to a warning in Matilija Canyon, North Fork, and Camino Cielo, and several evacuation notifications were lifted, the county said on their website. 

The rainfall total in Los Angeles is already ranking among the top five two-day stretches in the history of weather records in the city, which span nearly 150 years.

As of 11 a.m. PT ( 2 p.m. ET) Monday, 6.35 inches of rain have fallen in downtown Los Angeles since Sunday morning. This total puts the city at its fifth-wettest two-day stretch ever recorded.

The wettest two-day total for downtown Los Angeles occurred more than 90 years ago when 7.98 inches of rain fell from December 31, 1933 to January 1, 1934.

Rainfall in downtown Los Angeles will likely continue to climb the record ranks as the downpour continues Monday. Rain is forecast to persist across the city through Tuesday before tapering off to a few showers Wednesday.

Here are the top five wettest two-day periods in downtown Los Angeles:

Here’s a look at areas in California impacted by heavy precipitation:

Cars drive on flooded streets in the Studio City area of Los Angeles on Monday.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signed a declaration of a local emergency Monday as the city continues to be blasted with heavy rain and wind.

The emergency declaration will “help our response and ensure that the city has the required resources to respond to the storm now, but also in the recovery period,” Bass said during a news conference Monday.

The mayor commended first responders response to the severe storm while also urging residents heed evacuation orders.

“I do have to say that we have had to rescue individuals in certain neighborhoods because they did not follow the evacuation orders. We ask that when notified that you need to evacuate, please do that so you do not end up needing to be rescued,” she added.

The rainfall total in Los Angeles is already ranking among the top five two-day stretches in the history of weather records in the city, which span nearly 150 years.

As an atmospheric river pounds California with heavy rain, the Los Angeles community of Bel-Air is reporting multiple mudslides and landslides, according to a community spokesperson.

Rogovin said the storm “is very intense,” and some areas of Bel-Air are reporting approximately 10 inches of rain overnight.

Rogovin said the association is working to keep residents informed as the storm continues.

“The Bel-Air Association manages several WhatsApp chats for different areas in Bel-Air; through these chats, we are in troubleshooting mode to make sure hundreds of neighbors are in constant communication,” she said.

Bel-Air encompasses more than 2,000 properties, according to the association’s website.

The firehose of intense rainfall that’s been battering Southern California since Sunday could recede and then target the region yet again, according to climate scientist Daniel Swain — in a concerning pattern he called the “windshield-wiper” effect.

If that happens, areas that have already been inundated by record-breaking rainfall will get thrashed again by torrential downpours “without much of a break in between.”

The storm has already dumped nearly 10 inches of rain on parts of Los Angeles County and in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Swain warned the flooding “may get worse and more widespread as the day goes on,” especially as afternoon heating could lead to some thunderstorm activity. 

Residents evacuate past damaged vehicles after storms caused a mudslide in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles on Monday.

Six homes were damaged and one was “threatened” due to “debris flow” in a Los Angeles neighborhood Monday morning as the region continues to face a powerful winter storm, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The flow caused “significant damage” to the homes in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles, the fire department said in an alert on its website. 

There were no reports of people trapped or injuries. Firefighters helped six adults and nine children who were left stranded as a result, according to the fire department.

The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety responded to the area to assess any structures that might have been seriously compromised, according to the alert.

This radar loops shows rain falling across Los Angeles and other portions of Southern California from Sunday morning to Monday morning.

Rain has fallen nonstop across the Los Angeles metro since Sunday morning, creating jaw-dropping rainfall totals that continue to climb.

As of 11 a.m. PT ( 2 p.m. ET) Monday, 6.35 inches of rain has fallen in downtown Los Angeles since Sunday morning. This is the fifth-wettest two-day stretch ever recorded there.

The wettest two-day stretch ever for downtown Los Angeles occurred more than 90 years ago when 7.98 inches of rain fell from December 31, 1933, to January 1, 1934.

This storm will continue to climb in the history book as more rain falls Monday. Rain is forecast to persist across the city through Tuesday before tapering off to a few showers Wednesday.

Strong winds roared across California Sunday and Sunday night as the atmospheric river-fueled storm reached its full strength. Wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph were common along the state’s coast while valley areas saw 20 to 40 mph wind gusts.

But the strongest winds centered on high-elevation areas where some gusts reached triple digits.  

Winds were screaming Sunday night in the Sierra Nevada. Wind gusts eclipsed 140 mph for two weather reporting stations located at about 8,700 feet in elevation in the greater Lake Tahoe area.  

One of these stations, located on Ward Peak in Placer County, recorded a 162 mph wind gust just after midnight Monday. Stronger winds are more common at higher elevations, but these winds are still exceptional for mountainous terrain.

Wind gusts this strong are more often associated with powerful storms like Category 4 or 5 hurricanes.

Here are some other notable wind gusts:

The strongest winds with the ongoing storm subsided early Monday. Gusty conditions are still possible Monday — especially at higher elevations —but nowhere near the extreme level that unfolded overnight.  

A powerful storm has lashed Southern California with torrential rain that has triggered dangerous flooding, mudslides and debris flows. On Monday, photos showed downed trees, debris in the streets and rising rivers.

Mud and debris is strewn on Fryman Road on Monday in Studio City, California.

A garage door is damaged by a storm on a home on Monday in Studio City.

The Los Angeles river is seen during heavy rains in Los Angeles on Monday.

A fallen tree lies atop a car in Los Angeles on Monday.

Speaking on CNN’s Newsroom Monday morning, San Diego mayor Todd Gloria said the city is working to prepare for the impact of the storm as it moves south over the course of the day.

The mayor added that he had issued a second evacuation warning to low-lying and flood-prone parts of the city.

“We’ve seen areas that have not traditionally flooded flood because of the volume of rain in a very short amount of time,” he said. “These atmospheric rivers are something that probably many of us never even grew up with knowing about, but now they’re sort of ever-present in our lives. And it means an extraordinary amount of water can be dumped on a community, a very finite, small part of our city, in a very short amount of time.”

He added that city officials are “doing absolutely everything we can” to prepare for the storm, including distributing over 150,000 sandbags.

Still, “we could use a break from mother nature, that’s for sure,” he said.

The city is under flood watch from 4 p.m. local time (7 p.m. ET) Monday until 10 a.m. local time (1 p.m. ET) Wednesday 1 p.m. Peak rainfall is expected to begin around 7 p.m. local time tonight (10 p.m. ET) and last until 3 a.m. local time Wednesday morning (6 a.m. ET).

While rain pounds Southern California, heavy snow is burying some of the state’s mountains. Winter storm alerts are in effect through Tuesday afternoon for portions of the Sierra Nevada and Southern California’s mountain ranges.  

Parts of the Sierras have already recorded more than two feet of snow this week with several more inches to come into Tuesday.  

In Southern California, the heaviest snow will target the highest elevations of the San Gabriel, Ventura County and San Bernardino mountains through Tuesday. Several feet of snow may bury these ranges by the storm’s end, mainly above pass level.

Heavy, wet snow will still reach pass level for some travelers and pose “very difficult-to-impossible” conditions, according to the National Weather Service. 

The snow is necessary for California’s snowpack, which has been beleaguered by warmth and storms that have brought more rain than snow. This winter’s snowpack was just 52% of average for this time of year as of Tuesday, according to the latest survey conducted by the state’s Department of Water Resources.

Snowpack is a vital water source, and the survey helps California to forecast how much water will be available for the rest of the year. 

A deluge of rain from a long-lasting atmospheric river has caused “significant” flooding on canyon roads in Malibu resulting in road closures, Mayor Steve Uhring said in an email to CNN, adding the city is also bracing itself for “significant” beach erosion.

“Rain in Malibu all day. All north south Canyon routes from Malibu are closed or listed as hazardous,” he wrote. 

Malibu has been identified as a high-risk flash flood zone, according to Uhring, and residents are being advised to “stay home and avoid the hazardous roads – rock and mud slides, flooding and dark traffic signals.”

All Malibu schools were closed on Monday due to the road closures in place and the inability for some staff to get to school. Pepperdine University in Malibu also canceled in-person classes and events Monday, they announced on X.

This post has been updated with Pepperdine’s cancelations.

Jeffrey Raines clears debris from a mudslide at his parent's home in Los Angeles on Monday.

A powerful atmospheric river-fueled storm is moving at an agonizingly slow pace across Southern California, directing a firehose of moisture at deluged cities for hours at a time. 

Downtown Los Angeles has picked up 5.96 inches of rain since Sunday — well above what it typically receives in the entire month of February.

The worst of the storm’s rainfall will slowly shift south throughout the day. Los Angeles will bear the brunt of the storm early Monday, but the threat will shift to the San Diego area by the evening.  

Here’s what to know:

Many victims of the massive storms now battering Southern California about are to be hit with another heartbreak — discovering their insurance won’t cover the damage.

The typical homeowners’ policy won’t cover loss from flood damage. That is covered by the National Flood Insurance Program, a part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But in California, where drought, not flooding, had been the more common problem until recently, homeowners are about as prepared for flood damage as hurricane-prone Florida residents are for earthquakes.

A look at the numbers: Data from NFIP shows only 52,400 homes and businesses are covered by flood insurance in the eight Southern California counties declared a disaster area because of this storm.

That’s less than 1% of 7.7 million households in the affected area with coverage. Those counties have a combined population of more than 22.6 million people, according to the latest estimates from the Census Bureau.

Los Angeles County, with more than 10 million residents, has only 14,600 flood insurance policies in force. That’s roughly the same number as Lee County, Florida, which includes Fort Myers, and has fewer than 1 million residents.

Flooding is seen at Los Angeles Union Station on Monday.

Commuters trying to move around downtown Los Angeles on Monday morning might need their rain boots.

Sandy Eckel said she was glad she had hers, and took this photo after getting off the A Line train at Union Station at 6:34 a.m. local time (9:34 a.m. EST).

Eckel said she saw a large team of people bailing out the water from the station.

In numerous posts on X, LA Metro Rider Alerts also warned commuters to leave extra time for their travel, as numerous bus lines were making detours Monday morning because of downed trees and flooding.

Radar estimated rainfall totals across Southern California as of 7:35 a.m. PT.

Rainfall fueled by a powerful atmospheric river is drenching Southern California, sending totals skyrocketing.

Here’s a look at the highest rainfall totals in the state since Sunday morning:

Downtown Los Angeles has picked up 5.96 inches of rain since Sunday — well above what it typically receives in the entire month of February.

All Malibu schools are closed Monday due to road closures from the severe weather and the inability for some staff to get to schools, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District announced on X.

The district noted its Santa Monica schools remain open. The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District serves 8,700 students between the two coastal communities.

A powerful atmospheric river-fueled storm is moving at an agonizingly slow pace across Southern California, directing a firehose of moisture at deluged cities for hours at a time.  

Storms normally track across the US from west to east at a steady pace, but a feature in the atmosphere well above the surface is standing in this storm’s way, causing it to get stuck over Southern California. With nowhere to go, the storm continues to tap into the tropical moisture in the atmospheric river, increasing the heavy rain and flood threat.

The storm’s slow pace is very bad news for the region, as the longer rain lingers, the worse the flooding will likely become. 

Some Southern California cities may see rain for 48 consecutive hours. It’s been raining in Los Angeles nonstop since early Sunday afternoon, with rain likely to continue at varying intensities through Tuesday before becoming showery in nature.

Continuous rainfall — even if it isn’t heavy – increases the risk of flooding by overwhelming soaked soils and causing rivers and streams to rise with almost no opportunity to recede.

A considerable flood threat is unfolding across Southern California as gushing rainfall from an atmospheric river-fueled storm targets the region. The storm unloaded record rainfall Sunday over the Los Angeles area and slammed the state’s coast with violent, damaging winds. 

But while the worst of the storm’s winds have ended, its torrential rainfall remains a considerable threat into Tuesday.

Here’s a rundown of what to expect today:

As California gets slammed by potentially catastrophic rainfall on Monday, scientists are pointing to two factors that are enhancing the rainfall and destructive power of this week’s storm: the climate crisis and El Niño.

An atmospheric river is like a conveyor belt of moisture that can carry more than 20 times the amount of water as the Mississippi River — but as vapor. Atmospheric river events are expected to dump between 10 to 40% more rainfall as temperatures warm due to climate change, scientists have said.

Global ocean temperatures have been at record highs for months. Warmer ocean temperatures fuel these storms with more energy and moisture.

On top of the broader global warming trend, a strong El Niño is present in the Pacific — a phenomenon that has been known to enhance atmospheric river events on the West Coast.

California, which just recently recovered from a historic megadrought that triggered water restrictions, has seen a deluge of heavy rain and snowstorms since last winter. These dramatic swings between the two extremes – extreme drought and high precipitation – also known as weather whiplash, is another phenomenon that scientists warn will occur more often under a warming planet in the coming decades.

A man walks through floodwater during a storm in Santa Barbara, California, on February 4.

As the atmospheric river takes hold in Los Angeles, more than 14 million people have been placed under the high risk level for excessive rainfall.

Typically in the US, high risk days only make up about 4% of all days — but they account for 80% of all flood damage. Statistically speaking, the odds of back-to-back days being in a high risk is about one-in-a-thousand.

Houses have been evacuated in California, including in the Hollywood Hills, due to risk of landslide, and a man has been killed after a tree fell on him in high wind gusts.

On Sunday, L.A. experienced its wettest day in nearly 20 years, totaling more than a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours. 

Downtown L.A. picked up 4.10 inches on Sunday, more than the 3.64 inches they average in all of February (their wettest month on average), and the storm brought hurricane-force winds to widespread parts of the state, including the Central Coast and Bay Area

People walk during heavy rains in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, February 4.

More than a month’s worth of rain fell in downtown Los Angeles in just 24 hours Sunday in what was the wettest day there in nearly 20 years.

The city’s downtown weather reporting station located near the University of Southern California recorded an astonishing 4.10 inches of rain Sunday. Downtown Los Angeles averages 3.64 inches of rain in February, typically its wettest month of the year. It was the wettest day in the city since 5.55 inches fell nearly 20 years ago on December 28, 2004.

Sunday’s deluge smashed the rainfall record for the date and made it one of the ten rainiest days ever downtown.

Add Sunday’s record rainfall to what fell in the city from last week’s atmospheric river and downtown Los Angeles has picked up 5.64 inches from both storms. This marks about 40% of what the city sees in an entire year and rain is still falling.

The city’s other reporting site at Los Angeles International Airport also picked up record rainfall Sunday. Rain at the airport totaled 1.76 inches – more than triple the date’s previous record of 0.56 inches set in 1958. 

A man in northern California was killed Sunday by a large redwood tree that fell as powerful wind gusts moved through the area.

“Through the investigation, it appeared he was possibly using a ladder to try and clear the tree away from his residence when it fell on him,” the Yuba City Police Department said in a statement.

Authorities have not blamed the incident on the weather, but winds in Yuba City were gusting to nearly 50 miles per hour at around 5 p.m. local time, when police say neighbors heard the tree fall. Fallen power lines have resulted in power outages to nearly 12,000 customers in Sutter County, according to Pacific Gas & Electric.

The identity of the victim has not been released.

Yuba City is about 40 miles north of Sacramento.

CNN Meteorologists Sara Tonks and Brandon Miller contributed to this report.

An atmospheric river started making landfall across California yesterday, and dangerous conditions continue into today.

Here are some pictures of the damage from Sunday. We’ll bring you more updates as we get them throughout the day.

An aerial photo shows a road closed due to flooding in Sonoma, California on February 4.

A woman walks through floodwater during a storm in Santa Barbara on Sunday.

A boat moored offshore is tossed by rough waters in Santa Barbara.

California Street in San Francisco is pictured, as atmospheric river storms hit the state on February 4.

The Santa Monica mountains are seen during heavy rains in Malibu, California, on February 4.

The National Weather Service in Los Angeles said an “extremely dangerous situation” is happening in the “Hollywood Hills area and around the Santa Monica Mountains” just outside of Los Angeles, adding that “life threatening landslides and additional flash flooding” were expected.

The areas have received widespread rainfall totals more than 5 inches in the last 24 hours, with some spots topping 9 inches.

The locations are under a “particularly dangerous situation,” with a flash flood warning until 9 a.m. PST as rain continues to fall over the area, with up to 3 inches of additional rain possible.

Notable California communities threatened include Malibu, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Brentwood and Burbank.

Three people who were stuck up a tree in a flood have been rescued, the San Bernardino County (SBC) Fire Department said in an update Monday. 

No injuries have been reported but all three victims are being evaluated for hypothermia.

The trio were in a vehicle when they attempted to drive across a flooded road in Devore Heights neighborhood, SBC Fire said in a post Monday morning.

All three occupants were stranded in a tree and and their vehicle was submerged in “rapid flood waters.” 

Damage is seen after a tree fell on a house in San Jose, California, on February 4.

A potent atmospheric river has brought extreme rainfall and strong winds to Southern California on Sunday, with the weather set to continue into the day Monday.

Authorities are urging people not to travel, and some people have been evacuated from their homes due to the risk of landslides.

If you’re just joining us, here’s what to know:

A person rides a bike through floodwater during a storm in Santa Barbara, California, Sunday, February 4.

Over 14 million people are under a high risk of excessive rainfall on Monday across Southern California, according to the Weather Prediction Center. 

The WPC has issued a rare level 4 out of 4 warning to affected areas including Downtown Los Angeles, Anaheim and Long Beach.

Rainfall rates across this high-risk area could approach 1 inch per hour, which could lead to rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches, and possibly reach 8 to 14 inches in mountain and foothill terrains.

The warning in context: Rare Level 4 “high risk” alerts are issued on fewer than 4% of days per year on average, but are responsible for more than 80% of all flood-related damage and 39% of all flood-related deaths.

This event is part of an atmospheric river: a moisture plume pumping off the Pacific Ocean, feeding off warmer-than-average waters.

The Santa Barbara Airport closed Sunday evening due to flooding on the airfield, officials said in a post on the airport’s website. 

The airport encompasses 952 acres, according to its website.

Atmospheric rivers are wide-reaching plumes of moisture that act like a firehose, tapping into warm, moist air from the tropics that storms can then unload as drenching rainfall and heavy snow over land. 

These types of storms are winter hallmarks across the West Coast. Not all are harmful. Weaker atmospheric rivers deliver much-needed rainfall and snow to the region during the wettest months of the year.  

This rainfall and snow is vital to western water supplies. It fills up water reservoirs that are critical resources during dry, hot summers. 

But atmospheric rivers can quickly become more hazardous than helpful. Excessive rainfall unleashed by these potent storms increases the chances for flooding, particularly when a series of storms happen in sequence with little time to dry out between.

Last week’s atmospheric river broke multiple rainfall records across California and triggered road closures and water rescues.  

Atmospheric rivers aren’t exclusive to the West Coast. They can also impact the eastern US and happen frequently in parts of Europe, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.