In Santa Barbara, people living in at-risk areas were told to leave by 3 p.m. Wednesday. The National Weather Service in Los Angeles said on X around 5 p.m. local time that the storm was "rapidly intensifying" over Los Angeles County.

The biggest storm of the winter walloped Southern California on Thursday, forcing the closure of Pacific Coast Highway, damaging homes and vehicles and bringing with it the possibility of "life-threatening" debris flows just a month after fierce Santa Ana winds propelled a firestorm across L.

Strong tornadoes are possible across the South as storms pass through the Gulf Coast region. Some locations could see half a foot of rain, worsening flooding.