Atmospheric river douses Southern California, threatening rockslides in
LA's fire-ravaged areas
[November 15, 2025]
By JAIMIE DING and JULIE WATSON
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An unusually strong storm system called an
atmospheric river was dousing Southern California on Friday and was
expected to continue dumping heavy rain over the region for days as
forecasters warned of rockslides and debris flows especially in the Los
Angeles areas that were ravaged by wildfires earlier this year.
More than four inches of rain fell over coastal Santa Barbara County
early Friday as the storm moved south toward Los Angeles, according to
the National Weather Service. Forecasters also warned of damaging winds
and possibly even a tornado could form as they urged people to stay
indoors.
While not usually associated with California, a tornado briefly touched
down in a Los Angeles suburb during a storm in 2023, ripping roofs off a
line of commercial buildings and injuring one person. A smaller one also
hit a mobile home park in the Santa Barbara County city of Carpinteria,
damaging about 25 residences.
The long plume of tropical moisture that formed over the Pacific Ocean
began drenching the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday and was expected
to unleash widespread rain over Southern California through Sunday with
the heaviest amounts on Friday and Saturday nights. More than a foot of
snow was predicted for parts of the Sierra Nevada.
Evacuation warnings were in effect for parts of Ventura County and areas
that burned in and around Los Angeles in January. Evacuation orders,
which are mandatory, were issued for specific high-risk properties in
the Palisades and Eaton fire burn areas from Friday evening to Sunday
morning. Law enforcement were going door-to-door in those areas to urge
people to leave, the county said.
Randy St. Aubyn, a homeowner in the Sierra Madre neighborhood by the
Eaton fire burn scar, stood Friday afternoon behind wooden planks
secured by sand bags in front of his house to deflect potential mud
flows into the wash. He built the “mud fence" after a massive mud flow
during storms a few years ago filled the crawl space under his house,
lifting up the first floor.
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A pedestrian with an umbrella walks on a bridge over the rain-soaked
110 Freeway in Los Angeles Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C.
Hong)
“Irrespective of what the news is saying and what you hear, you
prepare for the worst. And then you can sleep at night," he said.
The heaviest rain could dump as much as an inch an hour over a large
portion of the region.
“The period of most concern is tonight through Saturday Night,” the
National Weather Service said. “During this time, folks should be
prepared for ample traffic incidents, delays, and a few road
closures. This includes a few flooded roads, freeway lanes, and
on-ramps and offramps.”
While major effects of the storm have not yet been seen, a large
downed tree smashed a car in an LA neighborhood Friday morning,
local news outlets reported. No injuries were reported.
Canyon roads, especially the most vulnerable ones like Topanga
Canyon, will likely see mudslide and rockslides, and other
neighborhoods ravaged by the wildfires in the Los Angeles area
earlier this year should be on high alert, according to the weather
service.
More wet weather is expected early next week with another storm
bringing light to moderate rain, offering only a brief break from
the dousing. And yet another storm is predicted to follow that days
later.
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