Los Angeles
Torrential rains: An atmospheric-river storm drenched Southern California for days this week, flooding roads and causing mudslides from Santa Barbara to San Diego. At least nine people died from heavy rains and winds across the state. Dozens of residents had to be rescued from flooded homes and raging waters, while officials warned people to stay off the roads. A record amount of rain fell on the Los Angeles Basin, with some places getting as much as 13 inches. About 4 inches fell on downtown Los Angeles in just one day—the previous daily record for rain downtown, 2.55 inches, dated back to 1927. Homes in Southern California are particularly vulnerable to mudslides because many neighborhoods were built below hillsides, which often burn in wildfires, leaving insufficient vegetation to hold the soil in place during storms. Officials reported more than 475 mudslides in L.A. alone.
An atmospheric river is a storm that travels inland and moves over mountains. As the water vapor the storm carries rises, it cools, resulting in heavy precipitation. This week’s storm deluged Orange County with about a third of its typical annual rainfall in less than 48 hours. The storm also reached into Northern California, where winds exceeding 90 miles per hour in some places toppled trees, killing four people, and at one point left more than 850,000 homes and businesses without power. President Biden called L.A. Mayor Karen Bass during a news briefing to offer federal aid. “We’ll get any help on the way as soon as you guys request it,” Biden said over speakerphone as Bass held her cellphone up to the mic. “So just let me know. That’s why I’m calling.”