Atmospheric river lashes California with heavy rain and wind

Benedict Canyon Drive in the Beverly Hills area is “impassable” between Sunset Boulevard and Mulholland Drive Monday afternoon due to debris on the road, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation said on X. 

Earlier Monday, a debris flow in the nearby Beverly Crest neighborhood impacted seven homes amid a powerful winter storm.

Overnight, the National Weather Service warned of "numerous damaging landslides" in Malibu and Beverly Hills, cities that have been heavily impacted by the intense rain and wind.

Firefighters rescued a man Monday after he jumped into the rain-swollen Los Angeles River while trying to save his dog in the fast-moving water, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an alert. 

A helicopter crew lowered a rescuer into the river, who was able to grab the man and hoist him to safety, officials said. 

The man, who was still conscious when he was pulled from the water, was flown to a hospital. His dog was taken to a shelter for temporary care and for treatment of minor injuries, the alert added. 

Authorities in Sacramento County in northern California say a man died on Sunday after a tree fell on him in his yard. 

Sacramento County Coroner Rosa Vega told CNN on Monday the county has confirmed one "storm-related death."

Vega identified the victim as Chad Ensey, 41, of Carmichael and said he died Sunday at Mercy San Juan Medical Center. According to the coroner, Ensey died “due to blunt force injuries after a tree fell on him in his backyard.”

Sacramento County spokesperson Matt Robinson told CNN that at least 145 trees have fallen in the county since yesterday. California continues to experience intense wind and rain from a ferocious atmospheric river, causing flooding, power outages, and damage to buildings.

Another round of heavier rain started moving into the Los Angeles area Monday afternoon, triggering a flash flood warning for more than 2.5 million people in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Rain was falling at a rate of 0.25 inches to 0.50 inches per hour on top of areas that have already received up to 10 inches of rain since Sunday. That's raising the risk for more mudslides and flash flooding. 

Rain is expected to continue through Monday across the area. 

Evacuation orders in Santa Barbara County are canceled as of 12 pm PT (3 p.m. ET), the county announced in a post on X Monday.

"Residents may now return home," the post says. "Please be aware of loose and falling rocks, and wet road conditions."

The Santa Barbara Airport also reopened Monday after the airfield experienced flooding from the storm, they announced in a post on X. 

Passengers should check with their airlines for status on their flights, according to the airport. 

Ventura County also downgraded one evacuation order to a warning in Matilija Canyon, North Fork, and Camino Cielo, and several evacuation notifications were lifted, the county said on their website. 

The rainfall total in Los Angeles is already ranking among the top five two-day stretches in the history of weather records in the city, which span nearly 150 years.

As of 11 a.m. PT ( 2 p.m. ET) Monday, 6.35 inches of rain have fallen in downtown Los Angeles since Sunday morning. This total puts the city at its fifth-wettest two-day stretch ever recorded.

The wettest two-day total for downtown Los Angeles occurred more than 90 years ago when 7.98 inches of rain fell from December 31, 1933 to January 1, 1934.

Rainfall in downtown Los Angeles will likely continue to climb the record ranks as the downpour continues Monday. Rain is forecast to persist across the city through Tuesday before tapering off to a few showers Wednesday.

Here are the top five wettest two-day periods in downtown Los Angeles:

Here's a look at areas in California impacted by heavy precipitation:

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signed a declaration of a local emergency Monday as the city continues to be blasted with heavy rain and wind.

The emergency declaration will “help our response and ensure that the city has the required resources to respond to the storm now, but also in the recovery period,” Bass said during a news conference Monday.

The mayor commended first responders response to the severe storm while also urging residents heed evacuation orders.

“I do have to say that we have had to rescue individuals in certain neighborhoods because they did not follow the evacuation orders. We ask that when notified that you need to evacuate, please do that so you do not end up needing to be rescued," she added.

The rainfall total in Los Angeles is already ranking among the top five two-day stretches in the history of weather records in the city, which span nearly 150 years.

As an atmospheric river pounds California with heavy rain, the Los Angeles community of Bel-Air is reporting multiple mudslides and landslides, according to a community spokesperson.

Rogovin said the storm “is very intense,” and some areas of Bel-Air are reporting approximately 10 inches of rain overnight.

Rogovin said the association is working to keep residents informed as the storm continues.

“The Bel-Air Association manages several WhatsApp chats for different areas in Bel-Air; through these chats, we are in troubleshooting mode to make sure hundreds of neighbors are in constant communication,” she said.

Bel-Air encompasses more than 2,000 properties, according to the association’s website.

The firehose of intense rainfall that’s been battering Southern California since Sunday could recede and then target the region yet again, according to climate scientist Daniel Swain — in a concerning pattern he called the “windshield-wiper” effect.

If that happens, areas that have already been inundated by record-breaking rainfall will get thrashed again by torrential downpours “without much of a break in between.”

The storm has already dumped nearly 10 inches of rain on parts of Los Angeles County and in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Swain warned the flooding “may get worse and more widespread as the day goes on,” especially as afternoon heating could lead to some thunderstorm activity.