Powerful Storm Slams California, Prompting Flood Warnings and Evacuation Orders

As of November 17, 2025, a powerful storm has slammed parts of California, prompting flood advisories and evacuation warnings. The National Weather Service reported that 2 to 5 inches of rain were forecast through the weekend, with some areas seeing as much as 6 inches of rainfall.

A flood advisory remained in effect on November 16 for parts of southwestern California, and a winter weather advisory was also in place for the Greater Lake Tahoe Area. Forecasters warned that another storm system is expected to bring more rain and windy conditions into November 17 and 18, with a brief break on November 19 before another round of rain, mountain snow, and coastal winds hits the West Coast later in the week.

The recent storm has already claimed two lives. In central California, a father and his 5-year-old daughter were swept into the Pacific Ocean by a large wave at Garrapata State Park, and the child remains missing. In Northern California, a 71-year-old man died after his vehicle was swept into a creek in Sutter County.

Despite the improving conditions on November 16, the weather service cautioned that the threat of minor roadway flooding, rockslides, mudslides, and shallow debris flows in recent burn scars remains, as the soil's ability to absorb water has been compromised by the previous heavy rainfall.