Over 10 rescues took place in Huntington Beach through the night into Friday morning as residents were stranded in flash floods, officials said.
A heavy thunderstorm shook Southern California residents from their sleep overnight into Friday morning, and led to flash floods, multiple rescues, and later, one death caused by a toppled tree.
The storm, combined with earlier, torrential rain over the past week, has put the region on track for near-record November rainfall, the National Weather Service said.
In Winnetka, a person was killed when a tree fell onto two vehicles on the 7300 block of North Mason Avenue on Friday afternoon, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Details about how the tree toppled remain under investigation, but it was not caused by a vehicle striking the tree, Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Charles Miller said. Recent rainstorms, however, have led to multiple reports of trees falling in the area.
The person’s gender and age were not available.
Before dawn Friday, residents in several parts of Orange and Los Angeles counties were warned of flash flooding of streets and creeks, along with possible mudslides.
In coastal Huntington Beach, rain flowed through some streets like streams, and authorities responded to numerous flooding and weather-related calls in the northern part of that city.
The Huntington Beach fire department conducted about 10 rescues on Thursday night, and police responded to additional rescues involving people trapped in vehicles because of the flooding, according to city spokeswoman Julie Toledo.
