California storm raises fears of mudslides

LOS ANGELES — A strong Pacific storm dropped heavy rain Wednesday on a swath of California where thousands of people have been evacuated because of the threat of debris flows and mudslides from wildfire burn areas.

The storm came ashore on the central coast and spread south into the Los Angeles region and north through San Francisco Bay, fed by a long plume of subtropical moisture called an atmospheric river.

It also moved eastward, bringing the threat of flooding to the San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada, where winter storm warnings for new snow were in effect.

Authorities kept a close watch on Santa Barbara County, hoping there would not be a repeat of the massive January debris flows from a burn scar that ravaged the community of Montecito and killed 21 people.

“Right now, it looks like the storm will enter its most threatening period Thursday morning,” the National Weather Service said, adding there could be a nine-hour period of moderate to heavy rain.

Mud and rockslides closed several roads in the region, including part of Highway 1, which is still blocked by a massive landslide triggered by a storm last year.

With the storm expected to last through Thursday, there was concern about the combination of rainfall rates and the long duration, said Suzanne Grimmesey, a spokeswoman for Santa Barbara County. The county ordered evacuation of areas along its south coast near areas burned by several wildfires dating to 2016.

“Law enforcement was out in the extreme risk areas of Montecito (on Tuesday) knocking on doors. For those that were home, we had a very good cooperation rate with people leaving,” Grimmesey said.