(LOS ANGELES) — A new atmospheric river is slamming California, including fire-ravaged Los Angeles, where residents are bracing for the possibility of mudslides and landslides.
The storm is hitting San Francisco Bay area Thursday morning with heavy rain, winds up to 80 mph and waves up to 45 feet.
A flash flood warning was issued for the south San Francisco Bay area.
By Thursday afternoon, the worst of the storm will hit Southern California, where rainfall rates could reach 1 inch per hour. Some areas in and around the Los Angeles mountains and hills could see more than 6 inches of rain.
There’s a big concern for mudslides and landslides on the burn scar areas from last month’s devastating Palisades and Eaton fires in LA.
LA Mayor Karen Bass said the city prepared by clearing catch basins of fire debris; offering residents over 6,500 sandbags; setting up over 7,500 feet of concrete barriers; and having systems in place to capture polluted runoff.
Sheriff’s deputies “are helping residents prepare with sandbags and passing out mud and debris safety tips,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference Wednesday. “Our homeless outreach teams … are actively notifying individuals living in flood-prone areas like the LA River, Coyote Creek and other key waterways, urging them to relocate.”
The heaviest rain in LA will be Thursday afternoon and evening, with lighter rain continuing overnight.
Evacuation warnings were announced for parts of fire burn zones, including areas impacted by the Palisades fire, according to Los Angeles ABC station KABC.
All Malibu schools are closed Thursday and possibly Friday, according to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
The sheriff urged residents to prepare in the event they need to evacuate.
“Unfortunately, we’ve witnessed numerous, numerous instances in the past of swift-water rescues where people were caught in dangerous, fast-moving water, and obviously, we want to prevent that,” he said.
“Nothing that you have back home is worth your life. If you decide to stay in your property in an evacuated area, debris from the burn scar areas and storm may impede roads, and we may not be able to reach you,” he warned.
Landslides from burn scars could be a threat in the region for years to come.
Post-wildfire landslides can exert great loads on objects in their paths, strip vegetation, block drainage ways, damage structures and endanger human life, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Additionally, wildfires could destabilize pre-existing, deep-seated landslides over long periods. Flows generated over longer periods could be accompanied by root decay and loss of soil strength, according to the USGS.
ABC News’ Julia Jacobo contributed to this report.
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