Watch: Uprooted trees and flooded street in California
The elite coastal enclave of Montecito, Calif., was ordered to evacuate amid a massive storm that left most of the state under flood watch.
Heavy rain hit the community near Santa Barbara, home to celebrities including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – Harry and Meghan – and Oprah Winfrey.
Forecasters are warning residents of the state to prepare for a “relentless parade of cyclones” next week.
The flood has claimed 12 lives and left thousands without power.
More than 100,000 people were still without power as of Monday afternoon.
About 90% of Californians – about 34 million people in the most populous US state – were under flood watch, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“We expect to see the worst ahead of us,” Governor Gavin Newsom said at a news conference. “Do not test fate.”
An order issued Monday afternoon by the Montecito Fire Department warned residents of the city and nearby canyons: “Get out now!”
Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said the decision to order an evacuation was “based on the continued high rate of rain, with no indication that this will change before dark.” Residents unable to flee are being told to move to their innermost rooms or higher ground.
It is unclear whether Prince Harry, who is currently promoting his Spare memoir, or his wife and children are currently in Montecito.
Creeks in Montecito and surrounding California flooded roads
The US National Weather Service (NWS) reported that up to 20 cm of rain had already fallen in 12 hours in the region.
Montecito is home to many Hollywood stars, including actor Rob Lowe and comedian Ellen DeGeneres, who posted a video on the banks of a flooded creek on Monday.
“This is crazy!” said the chat show host. “This creek near our house never flows, never. It’s about ten feet high and will rise another half meter.”
The evacuation comes on the fifth anniversary of a landslide in Montecito that killed 23 people and destroyed more than 100 homes.
This new round of severe weather will bring heavy rains into already flooded rivers, damaging winds expected to topple trees and power lines, and heavy snow in the California mountains.
A damaged road in the Santa Cruz Mountains
On Monday, authorities called off the search for a five-year-old boy. The boy and his mother were in a car that was swept into a flood in San Luis Obispo County.
According to the father, the boy was on his way to school, according to local media.
The NWS predicted that the heaviest and most widespread rain would occur around Tuesday morning and afternoon. The agency issued a flood warning in areas around Los Angeles, including Orange County and the San Bernardino County Mountains.
Other evacuations have been ordered by authorities, including in areas downstream of reservoirs that may overflow.
The Sacramento Valley is also under flood warning. Schools in and around Sacramento canceled classes on Monday.
US President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency for California on Monday, which allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide disaster relief.
What are atmospheric rivers and bomb cyclones?
What are atmospheric rivers and bomb cyclones?
In the last week, California has experienced two overlapping weather phenomena – an atmospheric river, where an air current of dense moisture flows from the ocean, and a bomb cyclone, a storm with a rapid drop in pressure that creates an explosive effect.
Watch: More Dangerous Storms Head to California and Oregon
Atmospheric rivers can cause extreme rainfall and flooding. Pump cyclones require a mixture of high and low temperatures, rises and falls in air pressure and humidity, often resulting in high winds and severe storms.
Last week’s storms caused widespread damage across Northern California and brought record rainfall.
The storm damaged homes and businesses and killed at least 12 people. Among the victims was a child who died after a redwood tree fell on a trailer.
A woman living in a homeless encampment along the Sacramento River also died Saturday when a tree branch fell on her tent.
Much of the area hit by heavy rains is under extreme drought conditions. Last year, California limited the amount of water residents can use in an effort to conserve its dwindling supply.
Despite the rain, much of the state remains under moderate to extreme drought alerts, according to the US Drought Monitor.
Experts said it would take many years of rain to reverse the two-decade drought that has hit the western United States.