Southern California has been hit by a relentless storm system, unleashing historic rainfall that has inundated streets, triggered evacuations, and disrupted travel. The tempest, characterized as "extraordinary torrential downpours" by UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain, has left over 20 million people across Southern California and Central Arizona under flood alerts.

The relentless storm descended upon Oxnard, inundating the Ventura County city with a month's worth of rainfall within a single hour, causing havoc and prompting evacuation orders. Speaking about the unprecedented event to Axios, Swain highlighted, "these are genuinely extraordinary torrential downpours and importantly, they're continuing."

Threat of flash floods looms large

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued warnings of flash flooding and mud or debris flows. The risk of flash floods is particularly high in mountain ranges and urban areas of Southern California and portions of Southern Arizona.

As the storm progresses, it is expected to bring additional inches of rain to Southern California and move into central and southern parts of Arizona by Friday night and early Saturday. NWS alerts indicate that the heavy rainfall threat will persist in some areas, including the Peninsular Range, with a moderate risk of excessive rainfall in affected regions.

The situation remains critical, as the storm continues to unleash havoc across Southern California and now extends its disruptive impact into neighboring regions. The ongoing deluge has negatively impacted the life of numerous people.