Major rainfall prompts flood warnings in Southern California

Record rainfall hit Southern California over the weekend, prompting evacuation orders and flood warnings across the coast.

The downtown Los Angeles alone received at least 6.35 inches of rainfall since Sunday morning, CNN reported. The Topanga and Lake Sherwood areas, situated to the city's north, are under flash flood warnings.

The adverse weather conditions are reportedly the result of an "atmospheric river," which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) describes as "relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere – like rivers in the sky – that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics."

Video footage has shown the region largely submerged by water, including farther south in San Diego.

Flooding in San Diego #california #flood #flooding #sandiego #viral #rain ##mothernature pic.twitter.com/t0mbAQWIn2

— Marinela Pavletich 📸 🇷🇴 (@MarinelaPavleti) February 5, 2024

More footage of the flooding in Southern California… #flood #California #flooding #SanDiego pic.twitter.com/9Xv9a8vRKI

— Mrgunsngear (@Mrgunsngear) February 5, 2024

NEW: Southern California is getting obliterated by torrential rain causing flash flood warnings.

The storm even caused a ‘Seafoam storm’ where strong winds blew foam onto people standing on the shore.

The storm was thanks to an ‘Atmospheric River’ which is “relatively long,… pic.twitter.com/k1nLGDCX0U

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 5, 2024

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.