California facing rare tornado threat as rain brings flood warnings to Los Angeles: Live

There is a 5 per cent probability of tornadoes, severe hail and severe wind in northern California today, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Forecasters are also predicting severe, isolated thunderstorms with medium confidence in the region. The worst impacts are set to hit before 12 pm local time on Monday, the NWS warns.

Power outages, flooded roadways and landslides are all major hazards facing northern California residents as these storms strike. Officials are warning residents to stay weather aware and prepare for potential hazards.

More than ten inches of snow hit the central Sierra Nevada Mountains, according to the University of California, Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab. Another two feet could blanket the region by Wednesday morning.

High-elevation residents should avoid driving, officials warn, as heavy snowfall could create whiteout conditions.

As a brutal storm blows into California, wind gusts peaked at 61 miles per hour in the state’s southern region yesterday.

Meanwhile, Santa Rosa island, just off the state’s coast, saw peak gusts of 63 miles per hour.

Gusts are only expected to worsen as the storm blows through the state starting today and lasting through Wednesday.

Some of California’s most iconic — and wealthiest — cities are under flash flood warnings until 6 pm local time, according to the National Weather Service.

More than 800,000 people across Malibu, Calabasas, Beverly Hills, Topanga, West Hollywood and other southern California cities are under the warnings.

Earlier this month, Los Angeles and the surrounding Southern California region saw a similar storm that brought hundreds of landslides and intense flooding.

Santa Barbara County officials have issued evacuation warnings for waterfront neighbourhoods as a destructive storm hits the region.

The warnings come amid threats of flash flooding and landslides from excessive rain, the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management said in a statement. The risk will persist through Wednesday.

This risk for floods and landslides comes after a tumultuous storm earlier this month that caused hundreds of landslides in Los Angeles alone. Soils remain saturated from the previous rainstorm, the National Weather Service said, increasing the risk for flooding and muslides this week.

Severe thunderstorms and heavy winds are set to hit the Sacramento, California region in the next two hours.

Forecasters predict up to 6 inches of rain in the region through Wednesday. Up to eight inches of snow are also possible in California’s northeastern mountain ranges, bringing the possibility of whiteouts for mountain drivers.

Los Angeles city officials have opened winter weather shelters for unhoused people as a powerful storm hits the region, according to a statement from Mayor Karen Bass.

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority outreach workers will also be offering transportation and hotel vouchers, the statement reads.

“[The system] is not designed to help anyone that’s actually out there… It was such an abysmal response,” community organiser Carla Orendorff told The Independent several days ago. Read more about Ms Orendorff’s response and the impact of storms on unhoused people in Los Angeles, California from Mike Bedigan: