A powerful atmospheric river battered storm-ravaged California, unleashing floods, landslides and tragedy, exposing the state’s fragile preparedness after January’s devastation.
California was struck Saturday by the most violent band of a sweeping atmospheric river, hammering Southern California with torrents of rain while igniting fresh fears of mudslides in communities still staggering from January’s catastrophic firestorms.
Streets turned into streams, highways swamped in minutes, and canyon roads were buried under mud and crashing rocks — a grim reminder of how fragile the region remains. Though no widespread destruction was immediately reported by evening, the threat hung like a storm cloud over Altadena, Pacific Palisades and Malibu — neighborhoods already wounded by earlier disasters.
Meteorologist Ariel Cohen of the National Weather Service confirmed the scale of the onslaught: 2–3 inches drenched Los Angeles, 3–6 inches soaked the Transverse Ranges, and isolated pockets were hit with a punishing 8-inch deluge.
“This was a significant storm system,” Cohen said. “Flooded freeways, rockslides, mudslides — all of it. But aggressive preparedness efforts stopped this from becoming a worst-case scenario.”
Scattered showers were forecast through Sunday, with a risky late-night window for thunderstorms capable of unleashing hail, violent winds, and sudden flash-flooding — dangerous conditions given the heavily saturated ground.
But the trouble isn’t over.
Two more storms loom — one Monday–Tuesday, the next Thursday–Friday. The first brings 0.5 to 1 inch of additional rain, but with possible thunderstorms. The late-week system remains unpredictable, adding anxiety to an already tense week of weather that dampened fire risk yet sharpened life-threatening hazards statewide.
The human toll, however, was already undeniable.
Along the rugged Big Sur coast, a heartbreaking tragedy unfolded Friday. A 5-year-old girl was swept into the Pacific by monstrous 15–20-foot waves at Garrapata State Park. Her father leapt in after her — both vanished in the violent surf as the child’s mother also attempted the rescue before barely making it back to shore. She was hospitalized for mild hypothermia.
The father was later found and pronounced dead. The little girl remains missing despite relentless search efforts. The National Weather Service had warned coastal residents to stay away, forecasting waves up to 18 feet and swells reaching a terrifying 23 feet.
These storms may not be political, but they underscore a reality Israel knows well: preparedness saves lives. When nature strikes with fury, resilience — not rhetoric — determines survival.
