Watch: Devastation along Pacific Coast Highway after flooding, mudslides from atmospheric river storm
Rainfall rates in the area were estimated to be at least one inch per hour, far more than what areas burned by the wildfires could absorb, resulting in floods and debris flow.
Las Flores road in Malibu, California hit with mudslide amid atmospheric river
Las Flores road in Malibu, California which was impacted by the Palisades Fire was innundated with debris after an atmospheric river caused mudslides on Thursday (Alexandra Datig via Storyful).
An atmospheric river drenched California on Thursday, with the Los Angeles area seeing floods and mudslides in communities burned by the Eaton and Palisades wildfires just weeks ago.
One of those communities was Malibu, where parts of the iconic Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and many nearby neighborhoods were destroyed in the blaze.
Footage shot by local photographer Alexandra Datig showed the destruction:
Debris flow on the Pacific Coast Highway.
(Alexandra Datig via Storyful / FOX Weather)
"This is PCH near Malibu city limits," Datig says, as she narrates what she sees. "We have mud and debris flow coming across the PCH, going into the ocean right here in the burn zone."
She also shows the highway as it runs through the Las Flores neighborhood, where flooding and debris have made the road impossible and overtaken the parking lot of a restaurant off the highway.
The mud is about 5-6 inches deep, Datig notes in the video.
Other scenes in the video show bulldozers trying to clear debris in the neighborhood, as lights from police cars and other vehicles from first responders flash in the distance.
Bulldozing in the Las Flores neighborhood of Malibu.
(Alexandra Datig via Storyful / FOX Weather)
Rainfall rates in the area were estimated to be at least one inch per hour, far more than what areas burned by the wildfires could absorb, resulting in floods and debris flow.
CALIFORNIA ATMOSPHERIC RIVER'S RELENTLESS RAINS TURN BURN SCARS INTO ROARING TORRENTS OF MUD
The atmospheric river that drenched Southern California also brought torrential rain to Northern California, which saw by flooding, rockslides and rescues as a result.