LOS ANGELES — A storm pounding California with record rain forced authorities in the San Joaquin Valley to order 2,000 residents to evacuate the farming community of McFarland on Monday because of major flooding.
An estimated 400 to 500 homes were in danger, Kern County Fire Department spokesman Sean Collins said.
A sheriff’s helicopter crew was trying to locate the source of the flooding, which possibly was coming from ditches and canals that supply water to farms, Collins said.
Stormy weather has gripped California since late last week, triggering mostly minor flooding, mudslides, road closures and power outages. Forecasters warned of worsening conditions today and Wednesday as more storms bear down on the state and threaten to dump another 5 to 10 inches of rain.
The California Highway Patrol reported two rain-related traffic deaths Sunday. A 3-year-old boy was ejected from an SUV that went out of control in heavy rain in the Fresno area, and a 22-year-old man was ejected from a vehicle that hydroplaned and crashed in the Bakersfield area.
A small twin-engine airplane was reported overdue Monday on a 65-mile flight from Palm Springs to Chino, and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department was to conduct a search.
Virtually the entire state was affected by the bad weather. On Sunday, rainfall records for the date fell, numerous traffic accidents snarled roads and trees tumbled.
Some locations in Southern California received more than a foot of rain, said meteorologist Jamie Meier of the National Weather Service. It was the most rainfall in one storm event since 2005, he said.
“That will make for a pretty good wallop, especially considering how dry things have been for the last two years,” he said.
Flash-flood watches and warnings were in effect Monday for some places, particularly mountain areas still scarred by fires.
A 20-mile stretch of scenic Pacific Coast Highway between Malibu and Oxnard was closed to commuters after a rock and mudslide Sunday night.
