The storm responsible for the warning is a long-duration atmospheric river event forecast to dump 4 to 8 inches of rain across urban Los Angeles, with up to a foot in mountain and foothill areas.
The heaviest rainfall is expected on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, putting nearly all of Los Angeles County at risk for life-threatening floods, rockslides and mudslides.
The threat also extends from southeast Santa Barbara through Ventura County and into central Los Angeles County.
“We haven’t had an atmospheric weather event like this in some time, probably more than four or five years,” Mark Pestrella, director of L.A. County Public Works, told KTLA on Tuesday.
County officials issued mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders for nearly 400 properties in areas burned by recent wildfires because of the heightened risk of mud and debris flows, the LAist reported.
Residents in Pasadena, Altadena, Ventura County and other affected zones worked to protect homes with sandbags and prepared for possible displacement. Emergency crews and law enforcement officers went door-to-door to notify those at highest risk.
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