Extraordinary torrential downpours" flood Southern California
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Rebecca Falconer
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City workers close a road after a creek overflows during heavy rains in Zuma Beach during heavy rains on December 21, 2023 in Malibu, California.
City workers close a road after a creek overflows during heavy rains in Zuma Beach on December 21, 2023 in Malibu, California. Photo: Apu Gomes/Getty Images
A storm that's been flooding Southern California streets with historic rainfall, disrupting travel and prompting water rescues and evacuations was gradually expanding into the Southwest on Friday.
The big picture: The slow-moving storm that on Thursday morning dumped a month's worth of rain in one hour on Oxnard, inundating homes and streets in the Ventura County city that's west of Los Angeles, has left over 20 million people under flood alerts, from Southern California to Central Arizona.
A screenshot of the Ventura County Sheriff's Office's photo tweet, showing images of its Medcat conducting rescues on flooded roads, with the caption: "🌧️Last night, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office’s Medcat responded out in mutual aid with @VCFD to assist with evacuations due to flooding in the Port Hueneme area, which was hit hard by the storm. This rescue vehicle helped evacuate 7 residents and 10 animals from the storm."
Photo: Ventura County Sheriff's Office/X