LOS ANGELES (AP) — Some homes in wildfire-ravaged areas of Los Angeles were ordered to evacuate as Southern California was hit by a rare October storm that was expected to batter the region with heavy rain, high winds and possible landslides.
“We are very concerned about the weather,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said during a press conference Monday evening, explaining that strike teams, rescue teams and helicopters were ready to respond.
Evacuations covered about 115 homes, mostly in Pacific Palisades and Mandeville Canyon, where a massive inferno occurred in January that killed more than 30 people and destroyed more than 17,000 homes and buildings in Los Angeles County. Wildfires can leave hillsides bare of vegetation to hold soil in place, making it easier to loosen the area during storms.
Bass and other officials warned residents throughout the region to remain vigilant and stay home. The worst was expected to begin early Tuesday morning and last until the afternoon, and more than 16,000 people had already lost power as of Monday evening, according to PowerOutage.us.
The storm could bring up to 4 inches (10.2 centimeters) of rain to some areas, according to the National Weather Service office in Los Angeles, which described it as a “rare and very powerful storm system.”
Ariel Cohen, a meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service in Los Angeles, said the storm could even bring a couple of tornadoes, and one of the main concerns is its unpredictability.
“The nature of this system is such that we cannot be sure of exactly when or where these impacts will occur, or the exact details, until they occur at the earliest,” he said.
Los Angeles Fire Department crews began patrolling the area Monday night, and a section of state Highway 27 starting at the Pacific Coast Highway was closed in preparation for the storm, the California Department of Transportation, known as Caltrans, said on social media.
The weather service also warned of strong winds that could knock down trees and power lines.
To the north, up to 3 feet (1 meter) of mountain snow was forecast in parts of the Sierra Nevada.
Heavy rain had already begun falling Monday evening across much of Northern California, causing flooding in cities in the San Francisco Bay area.
Gladstones Restaurant, located along the Pacific Coast Highway, said it was closing Tuesday due to heavy rainfall. The Pacific Palisades establishment is located at an intersection that was damaged by a major mudslide during past rains.
In February, heavy rains caused mudslides and landslides in several neighborhoods affected by fires in January. In the Sierra Madre community, near the site of the Eaton fire, water, debris and boulders poured down the mountain, trapping mud and damaging several home garages. A section of the Pacific Coast Highway near Pacific Palisades was flooded with at least 3 feet of silt, and a fast-moving mudflow carried a Los Angeles Fire Department vehicle into the ocean.
Concerns about fire debris flows have been particularly high since 2018, when the coastal town of Montecito from Los Angeles was devastated by landslides after heavy rainfall lashed mountainsides scorched by huge blazes. Hundreds of houses were damaged and 23 people were killed.
Elsewhere in the US, Typhoon Halong brought hurricane-force winds, devastating storm surges and floodwaters that swept away several homes in Alaska over the weekend. One person was killed, two were missing and more than 50 people were rescued, some from roofs, in western Alaska on Monday.
Officials have warned of a long road to recovery and the need to continue supporting the hardest-hit communities as winter looms.
In Tempe, Arizona, a microburst and thunderstorm dropped about a half-inch of rain in 10 minutes on Monday, according to the National Weather Service. The storm caused extensive damage, including uprooting trees that fell on vehicles and buildings, and dumping them on streets and sidewalks. A business complex had its roof blown off and thousands of homes lost power.
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Golden reported from Seattle. Associated Press writer Becky Bohrer contributed from Juneau, Alaska.
