Southern California under state of emergency as 'atmospheric river' pounds region

By Darren Lyn

HOUSTON, United States (AA) - Southern California is under a state of emergency on Monday as a second severe storm since last week pummels the region.

The National Weather Service issued flood alerts to millions of residents who are in the target zone of the storm, which has wreaked havoc since Sunday.

"High-impact rainfall with dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding is likely," the service said on X. Weather officials said a "deadly atmospheric river" is causing record rainfall, flash flooding, hurricane-force winds, and heavy snowfall.

Nearly one million people are already without power, and more outages are expected as the storm rages across the state.

Los Angeles recorded more than 4 inches (10 centimeters) of rainfall in 24 hours, nearly doubling that city's record of 2.55 inches (6.48 centimeters) set nearly a century ago in 1927, according to weather officials. The weather service said a month's worth of rainfall had deluged California in the past 24 hours.

A winter storm warning is in effect for parts of Northern California. Between 3 to 6 inches (7.6 to 15.2 centimeters) of snowfall are expected in the mountains. Add hurricane wind gusts up to 162 miles per hour (260 kilometers per hour), and forecasters are predicting near whiteout blizzard conditions.

Southern California is bracing for an onslaught of torrential rainfall with up to 4 more inches (10 centimeters) of rain expected in addition to the 5 to 8 inches (12 to 20 centimeters) of rainfall that have already accumulated in that area since Sunday.

Nearly 4 million residents from Los Angeles to San Diego are under a flash flood warning through Tuesday. Many roadways are already flooded with submerged vehicles strewn across the landscape. More river flooding and landslides are also expected over the next 24 hours.

At least two fatalities have been reported due to weather-related conditions, according to law enforcement officials. One man in Northern California died when a tree fell on his home.

The severe weather is expected to taper off by late Tuesday and into Wednesday. The diminished storm system is expected to dissipate as it moves east toward the state of Arizona.