Heavy rain raises threat of more mudslides in Southern California

By Brendan O'Brien and Rich McKay

Southern California was primed for more mudslides and flooding on Friday, especially in areas scorched by last month's devastating wildfires, even as heavy rains that have saturated the Los Angeles area this week tapered off.

Three days of drenching rain, flooding and mudslides have forced evacuations and road closures, including a portion of the Pacific Coast Highway from Malibu and Pacific Palisades.

The Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, along with Altadena on the eastern flank of the metropolis, was the sites of the worst of the January blazes. At least 29 people died in the fires, which damaged or destroyed more than 16,000 structures.

The blazes left scorched earth along the canyons and hillsides carved into the topography, making the sites prone to sliding mud and rock after heavy rainfall.

Some spots in the Los Angeles County recorded more than 5 inches (13 cm) of rain this week, while nearly 3 inches fell in downtown Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, the National Weather Service said.

Video posted on social media showed a firefighter's vehicle in the ocean after flash flooding swept it off the Pacific Coast Highway. The firefighter escaped with minor injuries, local news reported.

Photos posted online showed cars buried in mud up to their windows in Pacific Palisades.

"There are plenty of reports of debris flow," said NWS meteorologist Scott Kleebauer of the NWS's Weather Prediction Center. "I'm sure we'll have more today."

But the danger of flash flooding had passed and any lingering rains would dissipate by noon local time on Friday, he said. The area will see dry weather through next week.

Just before 5 p.m. on Thursday, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported a "large debris flow" that sent 8 inches of mud across a major road in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood in Los Angeles, "making passage impossible," the agency posted online.

Last month, a smaller wildfire threatened Hollywood Hills, but it was quickly extinguished, unlike the two major fires, which burned for days.