See destruction caused by atmospheric river pounding California
See the scenes from some of the hardest hit areas after the February atmospheric river made landfall in Southern California.
Landslides send large boulders, debris down steep landscape of Hollywood Hills
FOX Weather Correspondent Max Gorden is in Los Angeles where landslides have sent large boulders and debris rushing down the steep landscape of the Hollywood Hills as a deadly atmospheric river continues to slam Southern California with torrential rain and damaging wind gusts.
A strong atmospheric river thrashed coastal California Sunday and Monday, turning roads into rivers and sending landslides through neighborhoods.
As of Monday afternoon, Los Angeles has seen six months' worth of rain in one day. Malibu has 7 inches and counting, triggering mudslides across the county. Mud and boulders were seen blocking highways as crews worked to clear the roadways.
Landslides
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Image 1 of 6A mudslide blocked a lane of the I-405 in Los Angeles near famed Sunset Boulevard very early Monday morning. (@CaltransDist7/X)
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Image 2 of 6A major connector from I-5 to Highway 110 in Los Angeles is closed due to a mudslide. (@CaltransDist7 / X)
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Image 3 of 6A boulder in a landslide blocked a Santa Cruz, California road. (City of Santa Cruz)
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Image 4 of 6A mudslide blocks a lane of I-5 in Los Angeles. (@CaltransDist7 / X)
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Image 5 of 6A major connector from I-5 to Highway 110 in Los Angels is closed due to a mudslide. (@CaltransDist7 / X)
![The right lane of the southbound Interstate 405 just before the Sunset Boulevard off-ramp in Los Angeles was closed early Monday morning after a mudslide. Torrential rain from an atmospheric river storm has slammed Southern California leading to widespread flooding.]()
Image 6 of 6The right lane of the southbound Interstate 405 just before the Sunset Boulevard off-ramp in Los Angeles was closed early Monday morning after a mudslide. Torrential rain from an atmospheric river storm has slammed Southern California leading to widespread flooding. (CaltransDist7/X)
Mountains were hit even harder.
CATASTROPHIC FLOODING SWAMPS LOS ANGELES AREA AS DEADLY ATMOSPHERIC RIVER SLAMS CALIFORNIA
Ten people from five different homes had an early wake-up call in Beverly Crest, California. The inches of rain set off a suburban landslide that took out a home. Thankfully, the home was empty and up for sale, but neighbors fled and self-evacuated.
WHY CALIFORNIA IS PRIMED FOR LANDSLIDES
Beverly Crest landslide totals home
A landslide in Beverly Crest, California, near Beverly Hills, destroyed a home and prompted 10 neighbors from five nearby homes to flee very early Monday morning.
FOX Weather's Robert Ray visited the 90210 Beverly Hills neighborhood, which also suffered a landslide. He watched as streets became covered in inches of mud.
See 90210 mudslide
The famed Beverly Hills zip 90210 suffered a mudslide early Monday morning. FOX Weather arrived before road crews.
A FOX 11 Los Angeles reporter said that he watched refrigerators, books, clothes and chunks of homes floating down the road in a neighborhood in the Laurel Canyon area on the backside of the Hollywood Hills. Families evacuated six homes.
"As many as 6 homes near Fryman and Lockridge in Los Angeles are being evacuated after getting hit hard by mud slides. We’re seeing refrigerators, books, clothes, and pieces of homes floating down the road," posted a reporter on X.
Flash flooding
Rain flowed quickly down the hills and mountains into the valley. One man parked his car on a Studio City street in the rain for his band's rehearsal. After practice, he had to shed clothes and perform a "swift water rescue" on his car. The road looked more like a river with rapids as the water came up to the bottom of the car.
Car rescue from street in Studio City, California
This man parked on the street and walked into his band's rehearsal in rain. He stepped out of practice to floodwater nearing the bottom of his car and performed a "swift water rescue" in Studio City, California. Video courtesy of Steve Kefalas, AL1CE.
Beach town, Santa Monica, turned into a log flume as water overwhelmed the storm drains.
One truck driver didn't seem put out too much by the street flooding in Santa Barbara, though. The driver took it slow into the turn to see how deep the water was, then sped away.
WATCH: THREE ESCAPE SUBMERGED CAR BY CLIMBING TREE IN CALIFORNIA FLOODWATERS
One pickup truck didn't let a little water slow it down.
( @Alanna8824 / FOX Weather)
Rescue crews searched several bridges in a fast flowing drainage canal in Los Angeles for a man who jumped in to save his dog. Firefighters first found the dog which had swum to the edge.
Then crews found the man. A firefighter literally pulled him out of the rushing water from a line off a helicopter. The dog escaped with minor injuries, but the man was transported to the hospital by air.
Mountain gushers
FOX Weather Storm Chaser Brandon Copic braved the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles. A normally empty or trickling wash turned raging as it collected all the water funneled by the mountains.
"An absolutely insane amount of water coming down just behind me," Copic said.
Downed trees
Hurricane-force winds literally tore trees from the ground up and down the state. The highest gust FOX Weather saw was 162 mph in the Sierra Nevada. Winds roared through cities at tropical storm force.
This car was no match for the giant eucalyptus tree with its shallow roots in Santa Cruz. The tree stood no chance with already saturated soil.
SEE SOME OF THE MOST CATASTROPHIC ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS AND FLOODING IN CALIFORNIA HISTORY
This car in Santa Cruz was no match for a eucalyptus tree downed by saturated soils and strong winds.
(City of Santa Cruz / FOX Weather)
Fire crews were busy evacuating homes as well. The Santa Rosa Fire Department said that call after call came in on Sunday.
Watch: Wind knocks trees into homes during California storm
The Santa Rosa, California Fire Department was busy Sunday as tree after tree fell on cars, homes, power lines and roads.
Even before the bulk of the rain and wind arrived, a tree took out two apartments in Goleta, near Santa Barbara, on Sunday.
Firefighters assist evacuating 4 adults and a dog from the red-tagged units. Take a look at the tree on the right that fell through the roof.
(@SBCFireInfo/X / FOX Weather)
Sierra snow
While the mountains will get feet of snow, it did not take much to derail drivers. Authorities held traffic across the Sierra and the foothills for hours to enable plows to get in. The CHP reported that they responded to several spinouts.
"Take those curves slow and stay safe," posted the CHP on social media.
(CHP Headquarters / FOX Weather)
Water managers are happy with the snow.
Sierra snow pack 57% above average after back-to-back atmospheric rivers
The Central Sierra Snow Laboratory in Soda Springs, California recorded more than 2 feet of snow from the latest atmospheric river. Lead scientist Andrew Schwartz explains how the lab measures the snow and takes samples during weather extremes.