Major flooding, mudslides and deadly winds as biggest storm in years barrels into L.A. area

A storm that forecasters warned could be the most powerful in years barreled into Southern California on Friday, flooding freeways, causing landslides and downing trees and power lines.

One man was killed in the San Fernando Valley Friday afternoon when power lines fell on him. Nearly 100,000 people across the region were without power as winds topping downed electrical lines. Scores of trees also fell.

The National Weather Service issued flood warning for a large swath of Los Angeles County including Long Beach, Lakewood, southeast L.A, the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, Pasadena and Burbank. The alert last through 8 p.m.

Major flooding was reported in Goleta and the area around Santa Barbara Airport. The 101 Freeway at Seacliff in Ventura County was closed due to heavy rain and runoff.

In West Los Angeles, the 405 Freeway and 90 Freeway were also gridlocked by floodwaters. The 5 Freeway near Sheldon Street was also flooded. Flooded streets and freeway transition roads were also reported across the region.

Wind gusts reached up to 81 mph in Los Angeles County mountains Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

Evacuation orders were issued for areas where brush fires hit last summer, with officials worried about the potential for mudslides. Among the areas evacuated was a section of Duarte.

The majority of residents — 103 people — decided to stay indoors despite the city of Duarte’s evacuation order, according to deputy personnel on site, who are currently going door to door asking residents who stayed to sign a waiver.

As light rain fell on Alex Alarcon’s baseball cap, the Duarte resident spoke about why he decided to stay in his home despite the city’s evacuation order.

He had left work early Friday morning and planned to spend the night at a hotel with his wife, two children and dogs but decided against it when he noticed around 1 p.m. that the rain wasn’t coming down as hard as he had initially thought.

Alarcon, who has lived in the area for six years, said that his home, which falls on Larkhall Avenue and Deerlane Drive in Duarte, had mudslides not too long ago.

"I had mud sticking to the sidewalk right near my house," he said, pointing to an area around his mailbox.

But Alarcon isn’t too worried about Friday’s storm. He and his family feel content about staying home.

In the San Bernardino County mountains, a landslide the size of three football fields is threatening several homes, a fire station and a major road used by hundreds of residents, fire officials said.

Four homes and a San Bernardino County fire station in the unincorporated community of Forest Falls are directly in the path of the hillside, which started moving about 10 a.m. Thursday, fire department spokesman Eric Sherwin said.

Two homes were vacant, and residents in the other two homes have voluntarily evacuated. Fire officials have removed equipment from the station to protect it from damage, he said.

Live updates: Strongest storm in years moving into L.A. area Live updates: Strongest storm in years moving into L.A. area Feb. 17, 2017, 5:36 p.m. The strongest storm to hit Southern California in several years is expected to bring torrential rain, flash flooding and powerful winds Friday. A flash flood watch has been issued for Santa Barbara, Ventura and… Live updates: Strongest storm in years moving into L.A. area Feb. 17, 2017, 5:36 p.m. The strongest storm to hit Southern California in several years is expected to bring torrential rain, flash flooding and powerful winds Friday. A flash flood watch has been issued for Santa Barbara, Ventura and…Read the story

The landslide is 300 yards wide and extends 1,000 feet from top to bottom in the Slide Canyon area, according to Sherwin.

Like a glacier, pieces of the hillside have been slowly breaking off and dropping into a drainage below.

“It’s a lot of material,” he said, “but it has a long time to come down.”

But firefighters worry that Friday’s powerful storm could hasten the process.

If the hillside — a mixture of snow, rock, soil and timber — travels down, it will spill onto Valley of the Falls Drive — a major road for residents living in the area. The blockage could trap a couple hundred residents for several days, Sherwin said.

The San Bernardino County road crews were placing concrete barriers along the drive to help divert mud and debris, he said.

The Los Angeles Fire Department was responding to dozens of reports Friday of downed power lines, including one instance in which a person died after suffering an electric shock.

The incident occurred at 12:43 p.m. in the 5300 block of North Sepulveda Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, fire department spokesman Erik Scott said.

Few details were available, but Scott said a large tree toppled onto power lines and landed on a vehicle.

It is unclear whether the victim was inside the vehicle, he said.

Firefighters turned off the power and cleared an area to rescue the victim, who was in serious condition and taken to a hospital, Scott said.

The Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park in Buena Park closed Friday because of a powerful winter storm moving through Southern California that was expected to bring torrential rain and flooding to the region.

People who bought entry tickets for Friday may contact the park regarding refunds, Knott’s said in a statement.

Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, meanwhile, remained open, though officials told the Orange County Register they were monitoring the situation.

Southwest Airlines has canceled hundreds of flights in and out of California on Friday due to the weather.

About 250 of the airline’s flights to or from Burbank, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco and San Diego, among others, were canceled Friday, an airline spokesperson said.

American Airlines also canceled a host of flights to and from Orange County, and the aviation website flightaware.com reported 48 cancellations at LAX.

The storm, part of a warm “atmospheric river,” is swollen with moisture and poised to pour rain onto burn-scarred areas in local mountains and foothills.

Between 2 and 6 inches of rain can be expected to fall over the next 24 hours, depending on the area, with some seeing rainfall at a pace of an inch an hour — the kind of isolated, heavy downpour that can send mud and debris flows cascading into neighborhood streets.

Snow levels are anticipated to be at 8,000 feet Friday night, lowering to 6,000 feet on Saturday, according to the weather service. Because of the heavy precipitation, 1 to 2 feet of snow could fall above 8,000 feet in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, and 6 to 12 inches are possible above 6,000 feet.

Coastal waters will be dangerous Friday night and through the weekend, Hoxsie said. High waves off the coast of Los Angeles County are expected to peak Saturday at 8 to 13 feet.

After a brief respite Sunday, another storm system is expected to move into the region early next week, bringing several more days of rain, forecasters said.

With big storm coming, here’s how ton stay safe Live updates: Strongest storm in years moving into L.A. area Feb. 17, 2017, 5:36 p.m. The strongest storm to hit Southern California in several years is expected to bring torrential rain, flash flooding and powerful winds Friday. A flash flood watch has been issued for Santa Barbara, Ventura and… Live updates: Strongest storm in years moving into L.A. area Feb. 17, 2017, 5:36 p.m. The strongest storm to hit Southern California in several years is expected to bring torrential rain, flash flooding and powerful winds Friday. A flash flood watch has been issued for Santa Barbara, Ventura and…Read the story Caption Strongest storm in years hits Southern California

A storm that officials said could be the strongest in years moved into Southern California on Friday.

Caption Strongest storm in years hits Southern California

A storm that officials said could be the strongest in years moved into Southern California on Friday.

Caption Landslide threatens homes, fire station and major road in San Bernardino County mountains

Surveillance video footage shows the moment a hillside in the San Bernardino County mountains crumbles, sending rocks and snow into a drainage area below.

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UPDATES:

5:20 a.m. Updated with additional information on flooding.

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