SoCal hit by mudslides, flooding as powerful storm slams region
The strongest storm of the season is moving through Southern California Thursday. It’s bringing heavy rain across the region, which is triggering flash flood warnings, evacuation orders and school closures, while raising concerns of flooding and debris flows in burn scar areas.
Evacuation warnings have been issued for burn scar areas in the Los Angeles area ahead of what’s likely to be the biggest storm of the season.
The Los Angeles Fire Department announced that evacuation warnings will take effect at 7 a.m. Thursday through at least 2 p.m. Friday. LAFD has provided a map of the areas affected.
As heavy rain hit Southern California, the roof of a Smart & Final store in Azusa partially collapsed.
The partial collapse happened with shoppers inside the store, but Azusa police says no injuries were reported and everyone was safely evacuated. It’s unknown how many people were inside the store at the time.
The incident happened around 5:45 p.m. at the Smart & Final store on Foothill Boulevard.
A strong storm that pummeled Los Angeles Thursday evening unleashed a large debris flow that left Mulholland Drive a muddy mess.
The Los Angeles Fire Department reported about eight inches of mud was dropped near Mulholland and Outpost drives in the Hollywood Hills.
No injuries were reported, but crews scrambled to ensure the safety of structures above and below the slide area.
LAFD later determined homes above the debris flow were stable, but the muddy mess prompted a closure of that area of Mulholland.
The closure will remain in place for the duration of the storm, LAFD said.
City News Service contributed to this report.
A mudslide swept a Los Angeles Fire Department SUV off the Pacific Coast Highway and into the ocean with a firefighter inside as the powerful storm slammed the Malibu area.
Video showed waves hitting the truck in the ocean while the truck’s lights flickered.
The firefighter was able to climb out of the truck in time and get to safety.
As the heavy rain prompted evacuation orders for Sierra Madre, city leaders warned residents who don’t evacuate to do so ‘at their own risk’.
“For those residents the message is ‘if there is an active mud and debris flow our public safety personnel may not be able to access them until it is safe’,” said Sierra Madre’s deputy city manager Laura Aguilar.
If your home is under an evacuation order and you choose to stay home, you will need to shelter in place until it is deemed safe for city personnel to enter.
Check here to see if you’re in the evacuation order zone.
Key Headlines
MAP: LA burn scar areas under evacuation warnings due to storm
Roof of Smart & Final store in Azusa partially collapses amid storm
Large debris flow across Mulholland Drive shuts down road
LAFD member escapes truck swept into the ocean by mudslide during heavy downpours in Malibu
City leaders warn residents who are under evac order but stay home to do so ‘at their own risk’
Related Topics
Here’s how much rain just soaked Southern California
KTLA
by: Tony Kurzweil, Vivian Chow
Posted: Feb 13, 2025 / 07:56 AM PST
Updated: Feb 13, 2025 / 10:44 PM PST
The largest in a series of storms drenched Southern California on Thursday with steady rainfall throughout the day and several torrential downpours. Many areas received over two inches of rain, enough to cause street flooding and mudslides on the wildfire burn scars.
Here’s a look at the 24-hour rain totals around Southern California:
Lighter showers are expected to continue Friday before drier and warmer conditions arrive for the weekend.
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Los Angeles County as of 9 p.m.
Orange County as of 9 p.m.
Inland Empire as of 9 p.m.
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Heavy mudslides and flooding shut down PCH, sweep vehicle and firefighter into ocean
A massive amount of rainwater and mud was unleashed onto Pacific Coast Highway on Thursday, sweeping an L.A. Fire Department vehicle off the iconic coastal route and prompting an indefinite road closure roughly from Santa Monica to the Malibu Pier.
The damage comes as L.A. County endures an atmospheric river storm that has brought torrential rainfall and debris flows to a region weary from last month’s devastating firestorms, which also caused prolonged closures of PCH.
At 5 p.m., a member of the Los Angeles Fire Department driving along PCH in Malibu was swept off the roadway and into the ocean by a debris flow down Big Rock Drive, according to LAFD spokesperson Erik Scott. He was able to exit his car and was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries, Scott said.
“We ask all residents to avoid driving during the peak of the storm and to exercise extreme caution,” said Scott.
Pacific Coast Highway will remain closed between Chautauqua Boulevard and Carbon Beach Terrace until further notice due to the heavy flooding and mudslides, according to the California Department of Transportation.
The first slides were reported on the highway around 1:30 p.m. Thursday and continued to worsen into the late afternoon and evening as rainfall intensified, Caltrans said. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood alert for Pacific Palisades and a wide swath of the county around 4 p.m.
“There is now a high risk for a life-threatening debris flow,” the weather service said. “Mud, rock and debris flows will have the potential to impact drainages, roads and residences in and directly below the burn area.”
Heavy debris flows were reported at Duke’s Malibu, at PCH and Las Flores Canyon Road. The oceanfront restaurant survived the fire but appeared to be sustaining significant flood damage during the storm as Caltrans crews used heavy machinery to scoop up mud and try to clear the roadway.
While PCH experienced some of the worst damage during Thursday’s downpours, Caltrans crews were also hard at work clearing debris and addressing flooding on streets across the county, a department spokesperson said.
Mudslides and flash floods have been reported in the Eaton fire burn area in Altadena and on Mulholland Drive and Outpost Drive in the Hollywood Hills.
Recently burned areas are especially at risk for landslides in heavy rains as their soil is no longer anchored by verdant vegetation. In addition, heat from fire makes it harder for soil to absorb water, which can leave hillsides vulnerable to erosion. This can result in slopes crashing down in a torrent of mud, rocks and dead branches, imperiling homes or people in their path.
Debris flows can be triggered when rainfall rates exceed 0.5 inches per hour. On Thursday afternoon, the weather service said the L.A. area was likely to experience rain rates from 0.75 inches to 1.25 inches per hour.
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Clara Harter is a breaking news reporter at the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she covered politics and education for the L.A. Daily News. While at the Daily News, she published a series on fentanyl addiction that won a first-place investigative journalism award from the L.A. Press Club. Harter majored in political science and Middle Eastern studies at Columbia University. She loves surfing and, when not reporting, can most likely be found in the ocean.
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