Photos show deadly flooding inundating Southern California
Southern California bore the brunt of the latest storm to blast into the western United States as the region is now cleaning up from flooding, mudslides, sinkholes and downed trees.
This storm, one of the biggest storms in years to target the region, bombarded Southern California with heavy rain and gusty winds on Friday into Friday night.
Widespread rainfall amounts in excess of 3 inches were measured in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
"The airport at Santa Barbara measured 4.16 inches alone on Friday, shattering the day's previous rainfall record of 2.08 inches from 1980," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said. "Friday was also Santa Barbara's wettest day since March 20, 2011."
Downtown Los Angeles received slightly more than 2 inches of rain from the storm, guaranteeing the city will experience its first above-normal winter rainfall (December to February) since the winter spanning 2010-2011.
The storm caused at least five fatalities after a large tree brought down power lines in Sherman Oaks, California, electrocuting a 55-year-old man. Additionally, one driver drowned in his car after flash flooding suddenly overtook the roadway.
Also, two passengers died in separate crashes on rain-slick Interstate 15 in Mira Mesa and City Heights on Friday, the California Highway Patrol said.
On Saturday, searchers found the body of a man in his 20s who was swept down a rain-swollen gully in Thousand Oaks a day earlier. KCBS-TV reported that the body was found in Arroyo Conejo Creek
A man struggles against gusty wind and heavy rain as he walks along a pier Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, in Huntington Beach, Calif. A major Pacific storm has unleashed downpours and fierce gusts on Southern California, triggering flash flood warnings and other problems. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Cars trying to make it through the flood waters in Long Beach, California. (Instagram/derek_drizzle)
Multiple vehicles sit idly as flood waters hinder motorists from getting to their destination. (Instagram/actress_jenniferannescott)
A tree fell over, crushing a car in Los Angeles. No injuries were reported. (Photo/Twitter user @navajoBehr)
In this image released by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, a large eucalyptus tree toppled onto carport damaging vehicles in Goleta, Calif., Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. A powerful Pacific storm blew into southern and central California on Friday, unleashing wind-driven heavy rains that forecasters said could become the strongest in years if not decades. (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP)
Downed trees across the region caused many travel delays and power outages. (Instagran/mlmracing)
Pacific Coast Highway is reduced to one lane from three at the California Incline due to mud and debris being washed down from the bluffs in Santa Monica, Calif., as a powerful storm moves into Southern California Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. The saturated state faces a new round of wet weather that could trigger flooding and debris flows. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
(Instagram/derek_drizzle)
