California’s coast bore the brunt of an atmospheric river, a heavy corridor of moisture in the air that came to ground in the form of some diluvian rains. Atmospheric rivers are becoming somewhat routine on the West Coast, as moisture from the tropical Pacific turns into a “Pineapple Express,” rolling in from the west and wreaking havoc across California.
Heavy winds and rain are causing widespread damage on the California coast, inundating roads and causing mudslides. According to the National Weather Service, more than 10 inches of rain has fallen in the Los Angeles area since Sunday (for the record: it’s only Monday.) Here are some photos from the recent—and ongoing—storms.
Waves crash on a breakwater, with downtown San Francisco in the background.
A bus drives toward a downed branch in the road in Goleta, California, on February 4.
A large tree fell on a home in San Jose.
Two atmospheric rivers hit Southern California this week, causing flooding and mudslides.
Rock, wood, and stone debris in Studio City, California, on February 5.
Snapped branches, mud, and debris were washed into a Studio City road by the heavy rains.
A car damaged by the storm, which apparently turned a hunk of bricks into a weapon.
Boulders sit in a driveway in Studio City, California.
A man clears debris from a road, inundated by rainfall and covered in earth from a mudslide.
A tree with broken limbs on San Francisco’s Fillmore Street. The storm’s heavy winds have toppled trees and broken branches across the state.
A pedestrian hurdles a fallen tree blocking Fulton Street in San Francisco.
A truck drives in a flooded street in Santa Barbara, California.
Workers cut limbs off a tree that fell on a house in San Jose, California.
The Los Angeles river carries stormwater through the city, as seen on Sunday, February 4.
Floodwaters rise near a house in Santa Barbara, California, as a resident works to mitigate the potential damage.
A drift boat that washed ashore in Santa Barbara, California.
A fallen tree blocks a road in Pebble Beach, California.
Turbulent waves rock an anchored boat near a breakwater in Alameda, California.
A man walks his dog in Pacific Grove, California, as a faint double rainbow touches the ocean in background.