California saw no relief from drenching rains early Tuesday, as the latest in a relentless string of storms continued to swamp roads and batter coastlines with high surf, turning rivers into gushing flood zones and forcing the evacuation of thousands in towns with histories of deadly mudslides. At least 14 people have died since the storms began last week.
The storm prompted a few tornado warnings early Tuesday and also was expected to bring heavy snow to the Sierra Nevada mountain range a day after dumping up to 36 centimetres of rain at higher elevations in central and Southern California.
After a brief respite, another storm was expected to barrel into the state beginning Wednesday, adding to the misery and further saturating areas already at risk of flooding and debris flows. It could bring enough rain to exacerbate ongoing flooding and heighten the risk of mudslides, forecasters said.
The NWS described an "endless onslaught of atmospheric river events" that is the most powerful storm system since 2005.
The town of Montecito, a favorite of American entertainment royalty such as Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Aniston, was expected to get up to eight inches of rain in 24 hours -- threatening dangerous mudslides on hills already sodden by weeks of downpours.
Emergency authorities in the town 90 minutes from Los Angeles said anyone in the area should get out.
"LEAVE NOW! This is a rapidly evolving situation. Please pay close attention to emergency alerts," a fire department website said.
An AFP reporter saw police roadblocks set up to prevent people from getting into the town, where several roads were flooded.
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