LOS ANGELES _ The latest in a series of back-to-back winter storms that have hammered Southern California since last weekend is expected to wrap up Thursday, but not before striking the region with one final punch of strong rain that triggered flood warnings and mandatory evacuations in some burn areas.
The National Weather Service issued flash flood watches for Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange counties, warning that Thursday's storm could generate periods of heavy rain that have the capacity to trigger shallow mud and debris flows in areas recently devastated by wildfires.
The agency also warned of possible rockslides _ in addition to those that forced road closures in Malibu on Wednesday _ in the Los Angeles County and Ventura County regions where the Woolsey fire burned last year. Malibu schools will remain closed for a third consecutive day because of the storm.
Riverside County officials issued mandatory evacuations early Thursday for several communities near the Holy fire burn area. Residents in the Amorose, Alberhill, Glen Eden, Glen Ivy-A, Glen Ivy-B, Grace, Horsethief-A, Laguna-A, Maitri, McVicker-A, Rice and Withrow-A communities were told shortly after 5 a.m. to leave immediately. An evacuation center has been set up at Temescal Canyon High School in Lake Elsinore.
The "atmospheric river" storm _ a long plume of water vapor pouring over from the Pacific Ocean and swollen with subtropical moisture _ that moved into the region Wednesday is expected to dump from 1{ to 3 inches of rain along the coast in Ventura and Los Angeles counties through Thursday afternoon. The foothills could see more than 4 inches of precipitation by the time the rain tapers off after 1 p.m. Thursday, according to forecasters.
Downtown Los Angeles has received more than an inch of rain in the past 24 hours. Rose Valley in Ventura County has been hammered with more than 4{ inches in the past day.
Bands of heavy precipitation that moved into L.A. early Thursday wreaked havoc on local roads, causing dozens of crashes, including an overturned car that blocked several lanes on the southbound 110 Freeway in Highland Park. A flooded tunnel also closed a portion of the northbound 101 near the East Los Angeles interchange downtown shortly after 5 a.m. It's not clear when the highway will reopen.
Forecasters said the storm also would bring blizzard conditions to the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada through Thursday, with several feet of new snow and winds topping 50 mph. Heavy snow was also expected for the mountains in Northern California and north into the Cascades.
