Southern California Hit with Flash Flooding and Mudslides on Thursday

What was left of Tropical Storm Mario left parts of Southern California a muddy mess on Thursday. Here is a look at how the remnants of this tropical weather maker continue to impact the Golden State.

Mario Sets Off Flash Flooding and Mudslides in Southern California

Flash flooding and severe mudslides tore through parts of Southern California on Thursday after the former Tropical Storm Mario moved across the region. Mario came to life earlier in the week in the Eastern Pacific before skirting parts of Mexico and moving toward the U.S.

Ground zero in California focused on the Oak Glen, Forest Falls, and Potato Canyon areas in San Bernardino County. Several homes were covered by mud and debris flows in these canyons. Travel was also disrupted in the region about 80 miles east of Los Angeles as the mud sloshed over roadways. The fire department confirmed that seven vehicles became stuck on Highway 38 thanks to debris covering the road in both directions.

As of Friday morning, officials in the city of Bartow are searching for a two-year-old who was swept away by floodwaters on Thursday evening. Xavier Padilla was in a vehicle with his father, Brandon Padilla, when it was taken away by the rising waters. Brandon Padilla was rescued and taken to a hospital for treatment.

Several residences in the Oak Glen area were instructed to shelter in place as the floodwaters rose. According to the Cal Fire San Bernardino Unit Public Information Office, there have been no injuries reported. Damage assessment teams were on the ground Friday to begin the process of evaluating the impacted properties.

The communities of Oak Glen and Forest Falls are no strangers to destructive mudslides. A major mudslide in September of 20222 churned over roads and into homes. Thursday's event and the 2022 mudslide both happened over the burn scars linked to the massive El Dorado wildfire in 2020.

It is not unusual for flooding and debris flows to impact recent burn scars. This is particularly true in areas with steep and rugged terrain. Heavy rain tends to run off rapidly across these scars that do not have thick vegetation to decelerate the flow of water and debris. This translates to a heightened threat of flash flooding, even at times when rain is not extreme.

Thursday's weather pattern brought a parade of storms packing heavy rain. A reporting station near Forest Falls recorded 1.77 inches of rain in just one hour. Nearby Big Bear Lake averages less than a half inch of rain over the entire month of September; however, this popular tourist area saw 1.05 inches on Thursday. China Lake reported a whopping 3.16 inches of rain.

You have to go back to late April to find the last time that more than 0.01 of an inch of rain was recorded at Los Angeles International Airport. While the airport only saw 0.04 of an inch out of Mario, other parts of the metro area picked up more accumulation.

San Diego came in with 0.45 of an inch of rain. The line of moisture crept into the Central Valley, amounting to about 0.79 of an inch in Fresno.

The desert terrain of California was not left out of the moisture machine. Palm Springs notched 0.28 of an inch while Needles saw 0.33 of an inch. Both Phoenix and Las Vegas came in just shy of 0.25 of an inch out of this weather maker.

While September is considered the end of the dry season in Southern California, Mario's remains were able to sneak up into this part of the Golden State. The warm temperatures amplified by the afternoon sunshine supported the development of thunderstorms across the mountainous and desert terrains.

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