Powerful storm slams West Coast, prompting evacuations in parts of Los Angeles scarred by wildfires

By Karina Tsui, CNN

(CNN) — A powerful March storm has been lashing the West Coast and shifting southward –– posing a particular threat to communities scorched by the deadly Los Angeles wildfires from the start of the year.

This is the second cross-country storm in weeks and could bring heavy rainfall, gusty winds, snowfall and drought to different parts of the country.

Evacuation warnings were issued for parts of Los Angeles County Wednesday, with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass warning that burn areas from the January fires at greater risk of debris flows and stormwater runoff from the rainfall and may contain hazardous substances.

“While we prepare for another storm headed towards LA, I want to urge Angelenos to stay vigilant, especially in burn scar areas,” Bass said in a statement. “My number one job is to keep Angelenos safe, so please heed all evacuation warnings, stay vigilant and stay informed.”

“The risk of mudflow and landslides is real,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a news conference Wednesday, adding that fire-impacted communities “need to be on alert.”

The Los Angeles Police Department on Wednesday visited and issued evacuation orders to 133 houses, according to the mayor.

More than 20 million people across Southern California are under flood watches until Thursday afternoon, with the Weather Prediction Center issuing a level 2 or 4 warning for excessive rainfall in parts of the region.

The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services said Wednesday it has positioned rescue personnel and equipment in 11 counties where heavy impact from the storm is expected, including Los Angeles County.

Twenty-four-hour, 360-degree live-stream cameras have also been placed in burn scar areas for the public to monitor potential threats of debris flow.

In Santa Barbara, a shelter-in-place has been set up for places associated with the Lake Fire burn scar, with the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management warning those affected to retreat “to innermost room or higher ground such as a second floor” in the event of debris flows and rockslides.

Mudslides to hit community ravaged by heavy flood storms just last month

In Sierra Madre, just east of Pasadena, residents packed up cars, preparing to leave their homes Wednesday after authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders.

The city of 11,000 – which was hit last month by an intense thunderstorm causing mud to cascade down its surrounding hills and roads – was again under a warning of possible mudslides from the incoming storm.

Residents of Sierra Madre, which was heavily affected by the Eaton Fire in January, told CNN affiliate KCAL/KCBS the February mudslides led to heavy damage to homes. This time, though, they are not taking chances.

Derek Sample, a Sierra Madre resident, made temporary walls out of wood sheets outside his home.

“We’re covering it up, so we don’t get anymore mud in the garage,” Sample told KCAL/KCBS.

“It’s been tough, but it’s like we have such a great neighborhood, and it’s great group of people,” he said. “I would not live anywhere else.”

The storm’s wider impact

This is the second major storm to sweep through the country in recent weeks, with last week’s storm creating a blizzard that shut down highways, stranded vehicles and caused crashes across multiple states.

The current storm will similarly expand through most of the country, sweeping through the eastern part of the US and bringing severe thunderstorm and blizzard conditions.

This storm’s impacts will continue across California Thursday but also will spread to the Rockies. Winter weather alerts are in place across the highest parts of Nevada, Arizona, and Utah, where snow could pile up to 2 feet.

Gusts up to 50 mph could also make travel difficult and cause power outages in those areas.

By Friday, the storm is expected to bring severe weather to Central US. The Southern Plains and parts of the Southwest, which have endured fire weather this week, will experience more wind gusts and dry air, worsening the drought conditions across this region.

The strongest threat for severe storms, a level 4 of 5, has been issued for Friday in parts of the Mississippi Valley, eastward to the Lower Ohio and Tennessee valleys, according to a CNN weather analysis. There are risks of strong tornadoes, damaging wind gusts and very large hail from western Alabama to central Iowa, including the cities of Jackson, Memphis, Nashville and Des Moines.

The threat of tornadoes, gusty winds, and hail will also spread from the Gulf Coast of Louisiana to the Wisconsin-Michigan border, including Milwaukee, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Cincinnati and New Orleans.

The storm, which began to impact Northern California Wednesday, has brought minor flooding to Alameda County and pockets of rainfall up to 2 inches across much of the region, including the greater San Francisco and Sacramento areas.

These areas experienced wind gusts as high as 60 mph reported, which led to downed trees and caused thousands to lose power. The worst effects, however, have subsided, with wind alerts expired for San Francisco and alerts for Sacramento to expire Thursday morning.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Robert Shackelford contributed to this report.