California storm: Possible tornado hit state while Los Angeles was under flash flood warnings

Residents of Central and Southeast Nevada should brace for heavy winter storms today, according to the National Weather Service.

Forecasters expect up to 12 inches of snow in the high-elevation regions of Nevada today. Meanwhile, Southern California is still seeing heavy rain bringing continued risks of floods and devastating landslides.

Earlier this week, a cliff in the seaside community of Isla Vista collapsed due to heavy rain.

Residents have since returned to their homes, local outlet KTLA5 reports. The disaster hit amid a devastating series of weather events in California, including hundreds of mudslides throughout the state.

Some 30,000 households in California are without power as of Thursday morning, according to PowerOutage.us, marking a major improvement from earlier this week.

When this week’s atmospheric river first made landfall in California over the weekend, nearly half a million households lost power. Now, with less than 50,000 still without, Californian officials appear to be making significant headway in repairs as the state recovers from the worst of the rain.

The state isn’t in the clear yet though — heavy rain and snow in higher elevations are expected through the end of the week, and the risk of devastating mudslides remains high due to saturated soil.

Officials are investigating whether a tornado swept through California’s Grover Beach yesterday, according to local official Jim Munro.

Residents of the Southern California coast remain under flood advisories as of Thursday morning, the National Weather Service (NWS) reports.

Meanwhile, residents are also warned to stay away from beaches as riptides and flooding remain an issue, per the NWS. The coastal town of Grover Beach is currently reeling from a massive weather event that NWS officials are investigating to determine if a tornado swept through the region.

Community organisers have accused Los Angeles authorities of “bold-faced lies” and said the city’s response to its unhoused population during the recent catastrophic storms has been “abysmal”.

Despite promises that extra aid would be available, contact with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) has reportedly been difficult, exacerbated by the fact that many seeking shelter do not have phones or internet access.

The Independent’s Mike Bedigan has the story:

The National Weather Service (NWS) released five-day snow and rain totals for Southern California.

Over just five days, several areas of Los Angeles received well over a foot of rain, with the highest total of 14.88 inches recorded at Cogswell Dam.

Meanwhile, California’s Mountain High hit nearly 4 feet of snow, recording up to 42 inches over five days.

While Californians will get a reprieve from the storms today, according to the NWS, risks of flooding and landslides remain due to over-saturated soil.

Officials with the National Weather Service are currently in Grover Beach, California investigating whether a tornado struck the seaside city.

If they confirm it was a tornado, it would be the county’s first in 20 years — and only the third on record, according to Greg Diamond, weather producer for Fox Weather.