Topline:
A series of severe weather advisories ranging from extreme marine conditions to severe thunderstorms and the possibility of hail and weather spouts have peppered Southern California on Monday.
Where things stand: The wet start to the week is expected to continue, with concerns high about possible mudslides and debris flows in areas hard hit by recent fires.
Keep reading... for details on current conditions and the forecast.
A series of severe weather advisories — ranging from extreme marine conditions to severe thunderstorms and the possibility of hail and water spouts — peppered Southern California on Monday. The wet start to the week is expected to continue, with concerns about possible mudslides and debris flows in areas hard hit by recent fires.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass issued an evacuation warning for the Palisades, Sunset and Hurst burn scar areas ahead of the rain Monday. That warning went into effect at 9 p.m. Sunday and was scheduled to be in place until 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Most of L.A. County was under a flood watch as a powerful rainstorm hit the region Monday.
Some mountain communities are also under a winter storm warning through Thursday when up to 1 or 2 feet of snow is possible for elevations above 6,000 feet.
Widespread rain began to fall on Southern California overnight, as of 11 a.m. Monday here are preliminary rainfall totals over the last 24 hours, reported by the National Weather Service:
We will update as needed.
According to the National Weather Service, locations that could experience flash flooding include Monday afternoon: Long Beach, West Covina, Glendora, San Dimas, Pomona, Whittier, La Verne, Covina, Azusa, Baldwin Park, Diamond Bar, Hacienda Heights, Monrovia, Claremont, Santa Fe Springs, Norwalk, Cerritos, Artesia, Bellflower and Walnut.
Meteorologists for the National Weather Service have warned that a powerful storm system will move through the region Monday "bringing the potential for severe thunderstorms, burn-scar debris flows, flash flooding with rock and mud slides, damaging winds, heavy mountain snow, and high surf with coastal flooding."
They say Southern Californians should expect "cold and blustery conditions with periodic rain" through "at least the middle of the week."
The expected rainfall is significant enough that they're warning people near vulnerable areas, which include recent burn scars from last January's fires and other recent fires, to take precautions immediately and be ready to leave if evacuation orders are issued.
Severe weather could include:
Here’s an excerpt from our guide to understanding flood warnings, if any are issued:
Read more: Flash Flood warnings? Watches? Here’s what you need to know
Advice on driving in the rain:
Read more: What you should do if you end up driving in a flooded area
Dial 911 in an emergency.
However, if you need to report a flooded road or a downed tree, you can call the following non-emergency numbers:
If you're in L.A. County and need sand bags, you can find some at local fire houses.
This is a developing story. We fact check everything and rely only on information from credible sources (think fire, police, government officials and reporters on the ground). Sometimes, however, we make mistakes or initial reports turn out to be wrong. In all cases, we strive to bring you the most accurate information in real time and will update this story as new information becomes available.
Topline:
Crude oil prices are down sharply on Monday morning, after President Donald Trump, Iranian leaders and Pakistani negotiators all indicated that a deal to end the war with Iran will be signed on Friday.
Why now: Trump posted online about the deal on Sunday evening. Oil futures prices promptly sank around 4%, after markets reopened for trading following their typical weekend break. Prices had already fallen significantly on Thursday and Friday in anticipation of a deal.
Elevated prices: While oil prices remain elevated compared to pre-war prices, which were in the $60s, they are now cheaper than they have been at any point since the very first days of this conflict.
Read on... for more on oil prices.
Crude oil prices are down sharply on Monday morning, after President Donald Trump, Iranian leaders and Pakistani negotiators all indicated that a deal to end the war with Iran will be signed on Friday.
President Trump posted online about the deal on Sunday evening. Oil futures prices promptly sank around 4%, after markets reopened for trading following their typical weekend break. Prices had already fallen significantly on Thursday and Friday in anticipation of a deal.
By Monday, prices were down nearly 13% from where it had been in the middle of last week. The cost of one barrel of Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was around $83, and West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, around $80. At one point in this conflict, global oil prices had touched $126 a barrel.
While oil prices remain elevated compared to pre-war prices, which were in the $60s, they are now cheaper than they have been at any point since the very first days of this conflict.
Cheaper crude oil should push U.S. gasoline prices down, which should in turn help with high levels of inflation. The war in Iran had driven the national average up by as much as $1.50 a gallon; prices have eased in recent weeks, as crude prices dropped on expectations of a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but gasoline remains more than a dollar higher than the pre-war average.
Trump's initial post on Sunday evening said he was authorizing "the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz," and directed ships to "start your engines." Before the war, approximately 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passed through that waterway, and the disruption of traffic has caused the greatest oil supply shock in history.
In a follow-up post, Trump later said that the strait would reopen "upon the signing of the Deal on Friday, for purposes of mine removal."
Throughout this conflict, oil prices have repeatedly fallen on headlines promising an imminent deal to reopen the strait; however, they've never dropped this low. Significantly, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has played a central role negotiating between the U.S. and Iran, has confirmed that a deal has been reached.
"Washington has an incentive to avoid a spike in gasoline prices ahead of the midterms, while Tehran is seeking sanctions relief and restored export revenues, and the global economy has a strong interest in keeping the Strait of Hormuz open," writes Claudio Galimberti, the chief economist for the research firm Rystad Energy, in a note. "On rare occasions, these incentives align in a coherent way, and that is the strongest argument that this is more than another short-lived diplomatic cycle,"
While risks remain, Galimberti says, a reopening of the strait would begin to reduce global inflationary pressures, which have been mounting.
A rapid reopening of the strait would ease pressure on the world's oil consumers, particularly in Asia and Europe. However, it would not mean an immediate return to pre-war oil supply levels and prices.
"It could be months before things return to something like the way things were before the war, at least as far as flows out of the Strait of Hormuz go," says Kevin Book, a managing director at Clearview Energy Partners, an independent research firm.
That's because some oil and natural gas production fields and refineries have been taken offline, or damaged in the conflict. "The facilities that have been shut down, some of them can start fairly quickly. Others may take months," he said.
Transit takes time, too. Ships also need to move in and out of the strait, and from there around the world.
And over the past few months, the world has tapped into its stockpiles of oil in order to make up for missing supplies; refilling those inventories could keep upward pressure on oil prices for months.
Before the war began, the world had been oversupplied with oil, which was keeping prices low. Book says it's not clear whether returning to "normal" will mean returning to that status quo.
"It's not obvious that we'll be in a surplus any time soon," he says.
Copyright 2026 NPR
Topline:
Let's get you caught up, and look forward to the week ahead in the FIFA World Cup.
Team USA: We're a U.S.-based media organization. So, of course, we need to start with the dominant and, arguably, best World Cup game the American men have ever played (yes, the U.S. has won the Women's World Cup four times). Last Friday's opener at Los Angeles Stadium against Paraguay had it all.
What's next: Looking ahead to the rest of the week, we'll be paying attention to three particular opening group games. The first is Monday between Iran and New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium. There had been speculation as to whether Iran would participate after the U.S. and Israel attacked the country in February. Iran had been expected to set up its training camp in Tucson, Ariz., but the team moved to Tijuana, Mexico, citing the ongoing hostilities and security concerns. The U.S. government is only allowing the Iranian team to enter the country the day before each of its three group matches.
Read on... for more highlights and what to look forward to the week ahead.
With all the political drama, high ticket costs, immigration problems, and transit worries leading up to this year's edition of the FIFA World Cup, much of that has washed away now that the games are underway. And what a thrilling start to the five-week soccer tournament we've witnessed across the co-hosts Mexico, Canada and the United States.
Let's get you caught up, and look forward to the week ahead.
We're a U.S.-based media organization. So, of course, we need to start with the dominant and, arguably, best World Cup game the American men have ever played (yes, the U.S. has won the Women's World Cup four times). Last Friday's opener at Los Angeles Stadium against Paraguay had it all.
Starting with the score: 4-1. That's the most goals the U.S. men have tallied in a World Cup match. Striker Folarin Balogun netted two of them — the first multi-goal game by a U.S. player since the very first tournament in 1930.
Defender Chris Richards returned to the lineup after missing both pre-World Cup warm-up games because of an injury. And he made an immediate impact: successfully completing every one of his 83 passes (the most by any player in a World Cup match since 1966). Regarding injuries, the status of star forward Christian Pulisic remains unclear. He was subbed out at halftime because of a calf problem. After the game, he walked gingerly to the team bus.
From top-to-bottom, the U.S. sparkled and dazzled. It was a great start. But one game does not a tournament make.
The U.S. did get a preview Saturday of its next two opponents in Group D: Turkey and Australia. Turkey has more players in Europe's top-tier leagues, including bona fide stars like Real Madrid's Arda Güler and the Juventus attacker Kenan Yildiz. None of that mattered to the underdog Australia, which stunned Turkey 2-0. That sets up next Friday's USA-Australia game to be a big one — if the Americans win, they will be in the driver's seat in their group and a great position in the later knockout round.
Another World Cup shocker: Scotland, playing its first World Cup in 28 years, is atop Group C after defeating Haiti. The reason that's notable? They share the group with soccer royalty: Brazil (a record five-time champion) and powerhouse Morocco. Those two are expected to advance to the knockout round, but they played to a 1-1 draw, putting Scotland in the lead. For now.
Speaking of draws, Qatar and Switzerland finished 1-1 on Saturday. With the tie, Qatar earned its first-ever World Cup point. This is just Qatar's second World Cup (it automatically qualified for the 2022 tournament, which it hosted and lost all three of its games). On Sunday, the Netherlands and Japan played to a 2-2 tie in a battle of Group F heavyweights.
Curaçao, the smallest country (population: 158,000) to play in a World Cup, made its debut against Germany. And for a short while on Sunday, the tiny Caribbean country believed. Germany scored an early goal, and Curaçao then equalized. For the next 17 glorious minutes, the two remained deadlocked. Then Germany began doing Germany things, winning 7-1 (a famous World Cup score for them).
Looking ahead to the rest of the week, we'll be paying attention to three particular opening group games. The first is Monday between Iran and New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium. There had been speculation as to whether Iran would participate after the U.S. and Israel attacked the country in February. Iran had been expected to set up its training camp in Tucson, Ariz., but the team moved to Tijuana, Mexico, citing the ongoing hostilities and security concerns. The U.S. government is only allowing the Iranian team to enter the country the day before each of its three group matches.
On Tuesday, France and its superstar Kylian Mbappé will open their World Cup campaign against Senegal in a highly anticipated Group I showdown. Also Tuesday, defending champion Argentina and Lionel Messi will begin their campaign to win back-to-back titles, starting with Algeria in Group J. Only two countries have successfully defended a World Cup title: Italy in 1938 and Brazil in 1962.
As a reminder, you can keep up with all our World Cup coverage from NPR's correspondents and our network of member stations here.
NPR's Becky Sullivan contributed reporting from Los Angeles
Copyright 2026 NPR
Topline:
President Donald Trump and Iran declared they've reached an agreement intended to end more than three months of war in Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. If the agreement works as planned, several key developments are supposed to happen almost immediately.
The deal: The U.S. and Iran will end the sporadic attacks that have been taking place despite a ceasefire. The Israel-Hezbollah fighting in Lebanon should stop. And Iran and the U.S. will lift their dueling blockades of the Strait of Hormuz that has prevented oil from leaving the Gulf, driving up prices across the world. The agreement extends the current U.S.-Iran ceasefire for 60 days. The goal in upcoming talks will be a permanent end to the war.
Critical issues left unresolved: The fate of Iran's nuclear program will be negotiated, but remains unresolved for now.
What's next: An official signing ceremony will take place on Friday in Switzerland. Trump said Sunday the strait will be opened for mine removal after the deal is signed Friday. Iran made an end to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon a condition for a deal with the U.S. However, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday the country would keep troops in southern Lebanon indefinitely.
President Trump and Iran declared they've reached an agreement intended to end more than three months of war in Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The deal, scheduled to be formally signed Friday in Switzerland, marks a major breakthrough in the conflict that set the Middle East aflame and shook the global economy.
"The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!" Trump wrote on social media on Sunday evening.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council said the deal was reached "following a difficult and intensive period of negotiations lasting several months."
If the agreement works as planned, several key developments are supposed to happen almost immediately.
The U.S. and Iran will end the sporadic attacks that have been taking place despite a ceasefire. The Israel-Hezbollah fighting in Lebanon should stop. And Iran and the U.S. will lift their dueling blockades of the Strait of Hormuz that has prevented oil from leaving the Gulf, driving up prices across the world.
"Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!" Trump said in his post.
However, the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran did not resolve several critical issues that must still be worked out in another round of negotiations.
The text of the deal was not immediately released, but has been widely described by U.S. and Iranian officials and in media reports.
The agreement extends the current U.S.-Iran ceasefire for 60 days. The goal in upcoming talks will be a permanent end to the war.
The fate of Iran's nuclear program will be negotiated, but remains unresolved for now. Trump made no mention of the nuclear issue in his initial posts, though this is the main reason he cited for launching the war in February.
In an interview with The New York Times, Trump said Iran would be permitted low-level nuclear enrichment. In the past, he has repeatedly called for the dismantling of Iran's entire nuclear program.
Also, Iran wants billions of dollars in its assets that have been frozen abroad, and the lifting of U.S. and international sanctions.
These issues will be difficult to resolve, and it's not clear what happens if agreement is not reached during the 60 days of negotiations.
Trump told The New York Times that if no deal was reached, he could relaunch attacks on Iran or make the U.S. "the guardian of the Middle East" in return for 20% of the region's revenues.
Pakistan's prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who played a key mediating role in the negotiations, said an official signing ceremony will take place on Friday in Switzerland. Trump said the same in a second Truth Social post Sunday evening.
Iran Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, quoted by Iranian state media in a post on Telegram, said Iran sees this deal as a victory.
Iran has effectively controlled the Strait of Hormuz since shortly after the war began on Feb. 28, virtually shutting down the vital passage for around 20 percent of the world's oil. The U.S. blockaded Iranian ports in response.
The U.S. says Iran has laid mines in the strait. Trump said Sunday the strait will be opened for mine removal after the deal is signed Friday.
Iran made an end to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon a condition for a deal with the U.S.
However, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday the country would keep troops in southern Lebanon indefinitely.
Israel and Hezbollah have continued to fight daily despite an official ceasefire. On Sunday, Hezbollah fired drones into northern Israel, according to the Israeli military.
Israel responded with a deadly airstrike on a Hezbollah stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Trump criticized the Israeli action.
"This morning's attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a peace deal with Iran," Trump wrote on Truth Social, hours before he announced the agreement with Iran.
Trump and Netanyahu speak often by phone, but they've been at odds on several occasions recently and Israel was not directly involved in the negotiations with Iran.
Israeli officials have said previously that they would support an agreement, but they had many reservations about the terms that were being discussed.
Leaders in the Middle East and Europe praised the deal.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who helped mediate the deal alongside Pakistan, praised the breakthrough. He thanked Pakistan, urging "positive and constructive" negotiations ahead.
European leaders from the U.K., France, Germany and Italy also welcomed the deal, calling for swift implementation. They also called for the urgent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and reaffirmed support for Lebanon's sovereignty and stability.
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking in a video on Instagram as G7 leaders prepare to meet in Evian, said talks would focus on the long-term reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the wider diplomatic opportunity created by the agreement.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called the deal a "critical step," with his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric saying he hopes parties will build on the momentum and "redouble their efforts towards a final resolution of the conflict."
Copyright 2026 NPR
Topline:
In much of the country, a six-figure salary is a benchmark for success. That sixth digit tends to symbolize professional achievement and a degree of financial security. But in Orange County, individuals earning up to $104,200 now qualify as “low income.”
The numbers: California’s Department of Housing and Community Development released its official state income limits for 2026 on May 29. These thresholds determine who qualifies for income-restricted apartments and other housing assistance programs. Under the new limits, one-person households in Orange County earning $104,200 per year or less are eligible for low income housing. Last year, the cut-off was $94,750.
The reaction: Young professionals earning close to the limit told LAist homeownership feels like a distant dream. Housing advocates blamed local elected leaders for failing to address the region’s affordability crisis.
Read on … to learn why Orange County’s “low income” limit is actually slightly higher than the region’s median income.
In much of the country, a six-figure salary is a benchmark for success. That sixth digit tends to symbolize professional achievement and a degree of financial security.
But in Orange County, individuals earning up to $104,200 now qualify as “low income.”
California’s Department of Housing and Community Development released its official state income limits for 2026 on May 29. These thresholds determine who is eligible for income-restricted apartments and other housing assistance programs.
Under the new limits, one-person households in Orange County earning $104,200 per year or less qualify for low-income housing. Last year, the cut-off was $94,750.
“It just feels so crazy to me,” said Megan Junanto, a 23-year-old actuary living in Irvine. She recently received a raise putting her above the low-income threshold. But last year, she would have qualified.
“I felt like one of the most well off compared to people in my age group, and I am near low income, and last year I was low income,” Junanto said.
Housing policy experts say the ever-rising goalposts for financial stability make it hard for Orange County to retain teachers, nurses and other middle-income workers, who are needed to make a local economy function.
Despite earning relatively high incomes, some young residents feel they need to give up on the idea of buying a home in Orange County.
Junanto is able to rent an apartment with her boyfriend. But she said homeownership feels out of reach. Her immigrant parents bought a house in Garden Grove in the early 2000s on her father’s wages alone, she said. Now, the same home would cost at least $1 million.
“Those jokes about how you should have bought a house as a fetus, that definitely resonates,” Junanto said. “How hard do we have to work in order to attain that?”
According to a recent report from the California Association of Realtors, only about 16% of Orange County households earn the minimum annual income of $350,400 needed to afford the region’s median home price of $1,442,930.
Advocates for increased housing production blame local elected leaders for failing to address the region’s affordability crisis.
“By choosing to not allow new housing development, we effectively force people into being poor,” said Elizabeth Hansburg, director of People for Housing OC.
UC Irvine conducted a survey in 2024 that found 51% of residents have considered leaving Orange County. They cited the cost of housing cited as their most common concern.
Hansburg said if cities don’t update zoning and permitting rules to let developers build more apartments, townhomes and condos, workers earning around $100,000 per year will choose to look for cheaper housing elsewhere.
“They're the most likely to move out of Orange County, because those are the people whose quality of life will be most improved by lower housing costs,” Hansburg said.
According to a recent report from the California Housing Partnership, Orange County renters need to earn about $56 per hour, or about $116,000 on a full-time salary, in order to afford the region’s average monthly asking rent of $2,913.
Many low-income workers earn nowhere near that amount. Full-time minimum wage workers earn about a third of the county’s new $104,200 low-income limit.
Cesar Covarrubias is executive director of The Kennedy Commission, a nonprofit focused on affordable housing in the region. He said many workers typically can’t pay for rent on their own.
“People have to double up, overcrowd, have two or three families live together,” Covarrubias said.
“That burden is heavier on the low-income families,” Covarrubias said. “The higher-income families, yes, a lot of their money is going towards housing. But their income is still helping them move on and be able to survive.”
Some young professionals are continuing to live in their childhood homes.
Joe Silva, a 26-year-old client billing analyst at an investment management company, lives with his mother and two younger brothers in a one-bedroom apartment in Santa Ana.
Silva said despite earning around $85,000 per year, his income isn’t enough to move the family into a larger two-bedroom unit.
“They want you making around two-and-a-half times whatever the rent is,” said Silva, a Claremont McKenna College graduate. “You have to make close to $110,000 to get a place.”
Silva said he worked hard in college and has progressed in his career. But he still feels behind on keeping up with Orange County housing costs.
“If you ask anyone my age, I don't think most people are even looking at owning a home at this point,” Silva said. “That's how bad it's gotten.”
In Orange County, workers can qualify as “low-income” while still earning more than most other workers in the county. Because of a quirk in the way the thresholds are calculated, the low-income limit is higher than the county’s median income of $97,000 for individuals.
That’s because officials weigh income data against local housing costs. When housing costs are exceptionally high, officials increase the income limits to give more people access to assistance.
“Even if you have an income that seems high by national standards, you're very likely to find housing extremely unaffordable” in Orange County, said Nicholas Marantz, an associate professor of urban planning and public policy at UC Irvine.
Marantz said the rules behind the government calculations account for this imbalance between wages and housing costs, which “results in these situations that seem, to many people, somewhat absurd.”
The state’s income limits vary depending on household size and location. A family of four is low income in Orange County if it earns $148,850 per year or less. In neighboring Los Angeles County, the cut-offs are lower: $93,300 for individuals and $133,250 for families of four.
Individuals earning six-figure salaries also qualify as low income in Santa Barbara County, as well as in many parts in and around the San Francisco Bay Area, such as Marin County, San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, Santa Cruz County and San Francisco County.
Adam Sampsell said he earns about $108,000 as a mechanical engineer. He splits rent with a roommate in the city of Orange. He said he’s earning more than many of his peers, but still feels burdened by the region’s housing costs.
“It is quite disheartening,” Sampsell said. “Even though I have this high salary, and I'll probably continue to increase my salary as I get more experience in my job, there's a very high likelihood that without marrying somebody soon, I will never be able to afford a house.”
