Widespread flash flooding and mudflows have hit Southern California after heavy rain, prompting evacuation orders and warnings for motorists to stay off roads, authorities said.
Emergency services carried out dozens of rescues after vehicles became trapped in floodwaters, particularly in the mountain resort town of Wrightwood, east of Los Angeles, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
No casualties had been reported by Wednesday night, fire department spokesman Christopher Prater said.
Officials issued flash-flood warnings across much of Los Angeles County, urging residents to avoid travel unless under evacuation orders or fleeing flooded areas.
Los Angeles city authorities ordered about 130 homes to evacuate in areas at high risk of mudslides and debris flows, particularly in parts of Pacific Palisades affected by last year’s wildfires.
The storm was driven by an atmospheric river, a narrow band of dense moisture drawn from the Pacific Ocean, producing rainfall of up to an inch (2.54cm) an hour in parts of the greater Los Angeles area, the U.S. National Weather Service said.
Forecasters warned that “life-threatening” conditions were expected to persist through Christmas Day, with unsafe driving conditions during what is typically a busy holiday travel period.
Strong winds accompanying the storm downed trees and power lines, while heavy snow was forecast at higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada.
Meteorologists also issued a rare tornado warning for parts of east-central Los Angeles County amid severe thunderstorms over Alhambra.
Rainfall eased by Wednesday night, but forecasters said a second wave of the storm system was expected to move through the region on Thursday.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s new 10% global tariffs have come into effect, hours after the Supreme Court blocked many of his sweeping import taxes ...
The U.S. ambassador to France, Charles Kushner, has been banned from meeting members of the French government after not showing up at the Foreign Affa...
Thailand and the United States, alongside 28 partner nations, began Southeast Asia’s largest and longest-running military exercise, the 45th Cobra G...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 24th of February, covering the latest developments you need to...
An investigation into a protest outside a Washington, D.C. hotel on 19 February, where President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev was staying, has revealed ...
The son of Hollywood filmmaker Rob Reiner, pleaded not guilty on Monday (23 February) to murdering his parents at their Los Angeles home in December. Nick Reiner, 32, entered not guilty pleas to two counts of first-degree murder during an arraignment at Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify in a high-profile trial in Los Angeles examining claims that the company’s platforms contributed to youth addiction and mental health harm.
A U-Haul box truck has plowed into a crowd of people in Los Angeles showing support for Iranian protesters on Sunday.
Teyana Taylor and Stellan Skarsgård were among the first winners at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, as Hollywood’s annual awards season got under way in Beverly Hills.
Italy said a fond farewell to the Winter Olympics on Sunday with an open-air ceremony in the ancient Verona Arena that celebrated art and sporting achievement at a Games lauded as a model for how to stage such events.
The United States and Iran will hold a new round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva on Thursday as part of renewed diplomatic efforts to reach a potential agreement, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi announced on Sunday.
Further Iran-U.S. nuclear talks are scheduled in Geneva on Thursday (26 February) as diplomacy resumes over Tehran’s nuclear programme following earlier mediation efforts. But will the talks move Iran-U.S. negotiations closer to a deal, and what should be expected from the meeting?
Mexican authorities said on Sunday that Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho and head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was killed during a military operation in the western state of Jalisco.
Syria has secured a $50 million financing package from the World Bank to support transport infrastructure projects as the country advances its economic recovery efforts, Syrian media reported on Sunday.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday (12 February) announced the repeal of a scientific finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health, and eliminated federal tailpipe emissions standards for cars and trucks.
Tropical Cyclone Gezani has killed at least 31 people and left four others missing after tearing through eastern Madagascar, the government said on Wednesday, with the island nation’s second-largest city bearing the brunt of the destruction.
Rivers and reservoirs across Spain and Portugal were on the verge of overflowing on Wednesday as a new weather front pounded the Iberian peninsula, compounding damage from last week's Storm Kristin.
Morocco has evacuated more than 100,000 people from four provinces after heavy rainfall triggered flash floods across several northern regions, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
Greenland registered its warmest January on record, sharpening concerns over how fast-rising Arctic temperatures are reshaping core parts of the island’s economy.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment