Nearly all of California faced adverse weather on Tuesday as a storm brought heavy rain to much of the state, with heavy snow falling in higher elevations.
But the state largely avoided a repeat of the punishing rain and mudslides that occurred last week.
Many residents, including those in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, were under a flood watch on Tuesday. The Los Angeles region was under a moderate risk for excessive rainfall, which the National Weather Service says can lead to flash flooding. Flood watches and warnings were expected to extend into Wednesday in some places.
Flood risks closed portions of the Pacific Coast Highway, and some areas to the west received evacuation warnings due to mudslide risks.
The heaviest rain was in the Los Angeles area, forecasters said, where an additional one to two inches of rain fell in places.
The National Weather Service said a more robust round of widespread rainfall with embedded showers will track across Central and Southern California late Tuesday.
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On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom confirmed that the White House had approved a major disaster declaration for the San Diego region for storms that hit there earlier this winter. Three people died and 800 homes were damaged from storms that hit the San Diego region Jan. 21-23.
On Sunday, Newsom activated the state's emergency operation center ahead of the latest storm.
“Already this year, severe storms have proven to be deadly up and down California," Newsom said. "Our state is taking this next storm seriously, and we ask all Californians to take steps now to prepare.”
