Sandbags line a residential street below recently burned hillsides in preparation against possible flash floods and mud slides in the second, and larger, of two storms to hit drought-plagued California this week in Azusa, Feb. 27, 2014.
More than 1,000 homes east of Los Angeles are facing mandatory evacuation orders and cities across California are distributing sandbags, as a coming onslaught of rain has drought-stricken California worried about flooding for a change.
Heavy rain is expected across the state this weekend and could drench southern California with the most rainfall it’s seen in two years, USA Today reports. The National Weather Service says rainfall
Just in time for the Oscars, drought-ridden California is set to face an of wet weather this weekend, with heavy rain expected across the state. The storm could potentially drench Southern California with the most rainfall it’s seen in two years, totals will be between 1 and 3 inches in low and coastal parts of the state and 3 to 6 inches in its mountainous regions. Evacuation orders near Los Angeles were given in areas where there is a high potential for mudslides. Though the rain is falling over the weekend of the Academy Awards, the majority of the damage will be done before the Oscars are given out on Sunday.
The rainfall doesn’t mean the end of a punishing drought that has hurt farmers and put a strain on drinking water supplies, as the state is still significantly behind its average rainfall.