At 2:16 pm today (Friday, Feb. 24) the National Weather Service in Oxnard issued a flash flood warning for large swaths of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
The loud, impossible to ignore alert was distributed to cell phones all across the region (and outside areas of concern) via the Wireless Emergency Alert System.
"Think of it as flooding but you turn up the dial. It's a bit more dangerous," said Lisa Phillips, meteorologist with the NWS who issued the alert.
Flash Flood Warning continues for Los Angeles CA, Glendale CA and Santa Clarita CA until 10:00 PM PST pic.twitter.com/p0ljIAHQfx
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) February 24, 2023
The alert is in place until 10 p.m, and warns that the following locations could experience flash flooding:
This alert includes all recent burn scars. The NWS alert says that as much as four inches of rain is expected to fall on locations below 4,500 feet in the coming hours.
Here's an excerpt from our guide to understanding flood warnings:
Read more: Flash Flood Warnings? Watches? Here’s What You Need To Know
Don't do it.
As L.A.. City Fire Captain Erik Scott told our newsroom last month during the first storms of the year:
"If you can't see the ground beneath you, when you're driving, don't drive through that area."
From our guide: What You Should Do If You End Up Driving In A Flooded Area
According to the National Weather Service, just 12 inches of rushing water can carry away most cars, and two feet can carry away SUVs and trucks.
Flooded roads can cause a vehicle to stall and severely damage it. Water can flood the engine, warp the brake rotors, make you lose power steering and even short out the electrical components.
