Heavy rain is battering Southern California as a powerful storm moved through the area, causing significant flooding and prompting warnings from officials of possible mudslides.
Oxnard residents were told Thursday morning to stay off city streets for the next several hours until floodwaters receded. Video posted on social media showed streets completely underwater.
“Many streets and intersections are heavily impacted by standing water, causing vehicles to stall and become trapped in flood water. Please remain indoors until the situation resolves,” Ventura County’s Incident Information Source said on its website.
Many areas were under either evacuation orders or an evacuation warning. A shelter had been set up at the Oxnard College Gymnasium.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said that in just one hour, many areas of Oxnard and Ventura had received over two inches of rain. It also urged people to avoid traveling.
A portion of Southwest California — including Coachella Valley, Orange County coastal areas, and San Diego County coastal areas — is under a flood watch through Friday evening, according to the National Weather Service in San Diego.
“The heaviest rain with embedded thunderstorms is expected tonight through Friday morning,” the weather service said. “Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.”
The wet weather could trigger debris slides and mudflows in recent burn areas, Los Angeles County Public Works said in a post on X Wednesday night.
The slow-moving storm system is expected to move inland across Southern California through the first half of Friday, The Weather Channel reported.
