It snowed last weekend in Los Angeles (okay, in outer LA), and if that’s not a sign of the end times I don’t know what is. Actually, it’s just a sign of shifting weather patterns and maybe global warming, but crazy weather is a good reminder that the potential for natural disaster is ever looming. more ›

Mudslides, flooded roads, washed out beachfronts, evacuations, water-logged hills, and swift waters in flood channels has Los Angeles and Orange County, as well as surrounding counties, on alert. more ›

So far so good for the rain-soaked hillsides in the Station Fire burn areas, where worries of mudslides and debris flow have had residents and officials on alert since the storm moved into the area on the weekend. "The hillsides in the burn areas are holding" as of now, reports ABC7, "but the worst rain is expected to come in the evening, and mudslides and flooding are still a very real threat." more ›

We're on Day Three of a long, wet, hazardous system of rainstorms in Southern California, and though it may be drizzling right now, the forecast is calling for even heavier rains--the heaviest yet since the storms began late Friday night--to move in later today. There is a chance of mudslides and floods in the recent burn areas, a portion of PCH is closed, and there's been record rainfalls. Here's some basic info about the wet weather: more ›

Rain, and thus the threat of mudslides, has been an almost weekly event for Southern California this winter. And that has meant lots of evacuations, or at least the looming possibility, for foothill residents in or near burn areas of last year's Station Fire. more ›

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About 200 La Canada Flintridge residents in a high-risk mudslide area were warned last night of evacuation orders that would go into affect this afternoon. Two storm cells are expected to hit this weekend, with the first one intensifying this evening. A second storm is expected to hit this Sunday night. more ›

Residents of the Foothill communities whose sodden hillsides threatened to give can go home now, although the threat of mudslides still looms, KTLA is reporting. "Authorities canceled evacuation orders for La Cañada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Acton, Soledad Canyon and Aliso Canyon around 8:00" this morning. Evacuations in Sierra Madre were lifted last night. more ›

Citing the incoming storm and risk of mudslides, county officials tonight warned foothill residents in Station Fire burn areas that mandatory evacuation orders will go into effect tomorrow morning. By 10 a.m., residents of over 500 homes (.pdf) must vacate their La Crescenta, La Canada Flintridge, and Acton neighborhoods, according to an alert stated. more ›

Guy McCarthy of Watershed News shared with us these images he took yesterday morning of the mudslide damage in the Paradise Valley neighborhood of La Cañada-Flintridge on Ocean View Boulevard and Manistee Drive. more ›

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger got an up-close and personal look today at the damage to homes, vehicles and property in the northern portion of Ocean View Boulevard in La Cañada-Flintridge sustained during massive mudslides and debris flow that erupted in the early morning hours of Saturday. more ›

Although many areas in SoCal might currently be experiencing some blue skies and a welcome break in the rain, we are still in the midst of a weather system that continues to impact homes, roads, and residents all over the greater Los Angeles area. more ›

Mandatory evacuation orders are in place now for the northern portion of Sierra Madre "where hillsides are saturated and officials fear mudslides could occur as another band of heavy rain bears down on the San Gabriel Mountains," according to LA Now. Being ordered out are residents who live on all streets above Churchill and Canyon Crest; all streets above Brookside and Sturtevant; all streets above Lotus Lane at Camillo; and the private sections of Auburn Avenue above Elm Street. An evacuation center has been established at the Community Recreation Center (611 E. Sierra Madre Blvd.) and crews are on the scene working to set up structures that can possibly deflect oncoming debris. more ›

Photos taken this morning showing some of the property damaged by the mudslides and debris flows that took place in the early morning hours at the top of Ocean View Boulevard in La Cañada-Flintridge [map]. The hillsides, burned by last summer's Station Fire, were saturated by heavy rain, and at least one catch basin in the area overflowed. Residents describe being awoken by thunderous noise and witnessing walls of water and mud cascading through their community and homes. No one was injured, and residents are evacuating with the help of Los Angeles County Firefighters. more ›

While there are some clearing conditions now in the skies above Los Angeles, a night and morning of heavy rains has caused serious damage to homes and property as well as created hazardous road conditions all over the area. Road closures include the 2 Freeway which is closes from 2 mi east of the 210 in La Cañada-Flintridge to Islip Saddle (LA Co.); SR 27/Topanga Canyon Blvd closed from SR 1 to Topanga Canyon Road; and the transition road from the SB 110 Freeway to the NB 101 Freeway near downtown LA (due to flooding). Many mountain roads and surface streets are also closed and/or flooded and many accidents have been reported.

To find out current traffic conditions where you are or where you need to be, check one or more of the following frequently-updated websites:
• City of LA Traffic Conditions
• California Dept. of Transportation Roads (Search by Route #)
• California Dept. of Transportation (Updated Hourly)

Heavy rain overnight and into this morning has wrecked havoc on the burned and now over-burdened hillsides in areas affected by last summer's Station Fire. At least 7 homes have been reported destroyed in the Pickens Canyon area of La Crescenta [map] after a catch basin was overrun with debris flow, as well as damage to vehicles along Ocean View Boulevard, according to LA Now and KTLA. more ›

Bad news for traveling into the Angeles National Forest via the Angeles Crest Highway. After a week of rain in January, the artery between La Canada-Flintridge to Islip Saddle (at Highway 39) remains closed due to mud slides and washed away roads, according to the LA Times. It's expected to reopen up by late March. more ›

There are over 1000 homes in the Station Fire burn area that are under mandatory evacuation orders this afternoon as a third severe winter storm pounds down on Southern California and poses a very serious threat of mudslides and debris flow. more ›

Homes in the City of Glendale located high in the hills in the La Crescenta area have been ordered evacuated as a third serious rainstorm descends on Southern California, LA Now is reporting. 340 homes are at risk from flash floods, and residents "have been told to leave their homes by 9 a.m." more ›

After plenty of mandatory evacuations prompted by the Station Fire last September, some 489 homes in fire-scorched areas will once again go under mandatory evacuation orders tomorrow morning at 9 a.m., affecting neighborhoods La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Acton, unincorporated areas of Glendale and the City of Glendale. more ›

It's been a chaotic couple of days here in Southern California and after the current storm, another one is expected. Today there has been tornado warnings and sightings, high winds and power outages, and flooding and mudslides. Above are photos representing some of that. Stay safe out there! more ›

The rainstorm that landed in Los Angeles yesterday made for treacherous conditions on local roads and for some residents whose homes faced the threat of collapsing hillsides and debris flow, particularly in the recent burn areas, like those of the massive Station Fire. more ›

So far, the threat of major mudslides remains just that. No large-scale evacuations have been ordered or mudslides have occurred. However, there have been some incidents here and there. Topanga Canyon Road, some five miles up from the coast, was shut down this morning due to a small rock slide, the Daily News reported. Sharp rocks flattened the tires of several cars. At 11 a.m., the road reopened. more ›

Due to heavy rains snowy conditions, the California Highway Patrol began shutting down both directions of the 5 freeway in the Grapevine, north of Santa Clarita, around 5:30 p.m. However, mandatory evacuations in the northeast San Fernando Valley were lifted by Los Angeles officials this afternoon. more ›

Due to the possibility of mudslides in areas affected by the Station Fire, L.A. city officials have issued mandatory evacuation orders for at least nine homes in the Big Tujunga Canyon and Haines Canyon areas, reports KTLA. 13 other homes are advised to prepare to for evacuations. more ›

Check your closet, under your bed, or the backseat of your car--that's probably where your umbrella is. Been a while since it saw the light of day--or, rather, the darkness of stormy skies? Tomorrow we're due for the first of two storms, followed quickly by another, according to LA Now, and making for what the National Weather Service is calling "a wet unsettled pattern" for us next week. more ›

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A slew of city and county agencies are coming together tonight to meet with residents of neighborhoods near the four major wildfires of the past two years (Sayre, Sessnon, Marek, and Station fires). Tonight is the first in a series of town halls about having a readiness and evacuation. When it rained briefly last week, there were mudslides. So it's safe to say, they are likely not to be the last. Maps will be given out where flood or debris flows might go. Tonight's 6 p.m. meeting is at Northeast Valley City Hall (17747 Foothill Boulevard, Tujunga 91402). more ›

Debris flows from the 2003 Old and Grand Prix fires left 16 people dead, according to a post-Station Fire report released yesterday by the USGS. Perhaps, that's one reason to take note of the debris flow areas marked on multiple maps within the report. more ›

A report released today by the U.S. Geological Survey says that if it rains, "huge flows of mud and debris" are a likely scenario in the areas burned by the Station Fire, according to the Associated Press. The report examined about two scenarios--one, a three-hour thunderstorm and a 12-hour one. more ›