California Cities Getting Hit With Another Storm Sparks Mudslide Warning

Rain will begin to fall in California on Friday morning as the third in a series of back-to-back storms hits the Golden State, and the storm has prompted a mudslide warning.

California has faced an abnormally wet winter as moisture-laden storms and atmospheric rivers dumped a deluge of rain and snow on the state, beginning in January. The excessive rainfall has resulted from a slew of atmospheric rivers that have battered the state this month. Last year, more than a dozen of them helped alleviate the state's severe drought situation and replenished many of the state's reservoirs, but the storms also caused devastating floods and landslides.

Atmospheric rivers are defined as a "long, narrow region in the atmosphere—like rivers in the sky—that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The incoming storm follows two other moisture-laden storms that hit California over the weekend and mid-week.

A flood watch, winter storm warning and wind advisory are in place in Southern California because of the storm. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Los Angeles shared a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday alerting residents to some of the biggest threats from the storm, which included mudslides.

"Due to rain expected Friday night into Monday, there is a Flood Watch in effect for our area. Expect periods of moderate-heavy precipitation, w/ moderate roadway flooding, mudslides/landslides & a need for swiftwater rescues," NWS Los Angeles posted on X.

NWS meteorologist Kristan Lund told Newsweek that coastal and valley areas can expect 1 to 3 inches of rain through the weekend. Mountains and foothills can see up to 6 inches. The biggest threat for mudslides will be in the mountains and foothills, Lund said.

The NWS also shared a graphic on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday revealing the arrival time of moderate to heavy rain associated with the storm.

"Here is the latest Precipitation Timing & Intensity graphic! Little change from previous days, except the chance of thunderstorms kicked up from 10-20% to 15-25%," NWS Los Angeles posted. "There is still a low (<10%) chance of a severe thunderstorm developing."

San Luis Obispo will be the first city to experience moderate rainfall, which will begin on Friday morning. Light rainfall could start falling in Santa Barbara at that time, as well. By Friday night, heavy rain will fall in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura, with moderate rain falling in Los Angeles. Heavy rain will hit Los Angeles on Saturday, with moderate rain in the remaining cities. Rain will begin to taper off on Sunday, with some light rain continuing to fall in Los Angeles through Monday morning.

The heavy rain comes as Los Angeles has already received its average annual rainfall for the water year, which runs from October to September. As of Monday, Los Angeles has received almost 20 inches of rain, 6.65 inches above the average, with six months still to go. San Diego and Riverside also have received more than their annual average rainfall.

Update 03/29/2024, 11:57 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.