downpour

The heaviest downpour is expected to occur in mountain areas Wednesday afternoon into early Thursday, with a chance of roadway and flash flooding, mudslides and possible debris flows near recent burn scars.

The weather system also brings the potential for thunderstorms, particularly late Wednesday through Thursday, which could deliver heavy downpours along with gusty winds, lightning, small hail and even weak tornadoes.

She added that meteorological conditions play a role as extreme downpours can flush water through the rocks or put pressure on infrastructure like water mains.

At least nine people have died over the weekend, as torrential downpours drenched parts of the south-eastern US, submerging roads and houses.

While PCH experienced some of the worst damage during Thursday’s downpours, Caltrans crews were also hard at work clearing debris and addressing flooding on streets across the county, a department spokesperson said.