After heavy rains, debris flows hit Southern California community scarred by fire

LOS ANGELES — Residents of a Southern California mountain community near the Eaton Fire burn scar were digging out of roads submerged in sludge Friday after the strongest storm of the year swept through the area, unleashing debris flows.

Dry weather returned to the region but the risk of rock and mudslides on wildfire-scarred hillsides continued Friday since dangerous slides can strike even after rain stops, particularly in scorched areas where vegetation that helps keep soil anchored has burned away.

Water, debris and boulders rushed down the mountain in the city of Sierra Madre on Thursday night, trapping at least one car in the mud and damaging several home garages with mud and debris. Bulldozers on Friday were cleaning up the mud-covered streets in the city of 10,000 people.

''It happened very quickly but it was very loud and you could even hear the ground or feel the ground shaking,'' Bull Duvall, who has lived in Sierra Madre for 28 years, said of the debris flows.

Sierra Madre officials issued evacuation orders for areas affected by the Eaton Fire, warning that fire, police and public works personnel would not enter areas experiencing active mud and debris flows and anyone who remained in a home under evacuation orders would need to shelter in place until areas are deemed safe for city personnel to enter.

Residents of the city also had to evacuate during the Eaton Fire, which destroyed 15 homes in the community. In nearby Altadena, a road near the burn scar was also covered in several feet of mud, vegetation and trees as a flood of water overcame concrete blocks put in place to prevent such debris flows. The area was mostly deserted.

In Pacific Palisades on Thursday, one highway intersection was submerged in at least 3 feet (about 1 meter) of sludge, with some drivers trying to force their way through and police officers pushing one vehicle through the muck. Bulldozers worked to clear the roads not far from where, just weeks ago, they moved abandoned cars after people fleeing last month's wildfires got stuck in traffic and fled on foot.

One member of the Los Angeles Fire Department was in the vehicle when it went into the water in Malibu and was able to exit with minor injuries, department spokesperson Erik Scott said. On Friday morning, Scott posted a video on social media showing crews clearing a mud-coated stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.

Southern California reported 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7 centimeters) of rain in coastal areas and valleys and 3 to 6 inches (7.6 to 15.2 centimeters) across the coastal slopes on Thursday, said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

More winter weather is descending on the U.S.

To the north, snow and ice contributed to major pileups on highways in Oregon and Washington, injuring at least 10 people, as a winter storm descended on the Pacific Northwest.

The West Coast storms are just the latest in a week of bad weather across the U.S. that cut power to tens of thousands.

Over the coming weekend, heavy snow was expected to shift from the mountains of the West into the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes while an icy mix spreads into the Northeast, the weather service warned Friday. Severe weather was expected from east Texas into much of the Southeast and parts of the mid-South on Saturday. There's a possibility of severe thunderstorms over the lower Mississippi Valley and flooding from excessive rainfall in the mid-Mississippi and Ohio valleys.

Meanwhile, meteorologists warn that the U.S. is about to get its 10th and coldest polar vortex stretching event this season. Weather forces in the Arctic are combining to push the chilly air that usually stays near the North Pole into the U.S. and Europe. The latest projected cold outbreak should first hit the northern Rockies and northern Plains on Saturday and then stick around all next week.

Kentucky's Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency on Friday as a flood watch was in effect for early Saturday through midday Sunday with another 2 to 5 inches (5 to 13 centimeters) of rainfall expected.

Despite recent storms, much of Southern California remains in extreme or severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that while the area is desperate for rain, this storm might bring too much too quickly.

Near the burn scar for the Airport Fire in Orange County, Trabuco Canyon Road was overtaken by mud and debris, Orange County Public Works posted on social media.

In neighboring Nevada, the weather service said it recorded a measurable amount of rain in Las Vegas, ending a streak of 214 days without precipitation.

And in northern Utah, rain and snow created dangerous conditions on mountain roads leading to ski resorts. The state Department of Transportation issued a road safety alert warning of a mix of heavy snow and rain through Friday.

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Whittle reported from Scarborough, Maine. Associated Press journalists from across the U.S. contributed.