Crews work to clear debris after mudslides send boulders crashing down mountains in California
A powerful, multiday atmospheric river storm slammed California this week and brought torrential rain that caused landslides and mudslide across the state.
Mudslides, landslides reported across California after days of heavy rain from atmospheric river
FOX Weather Correspondent Max Gorden was in Malibu, California, on Wednesday as crews worked to clear rocks and debris from a busy stretch of road after days of relentless rain from an atmospheric river storm.
MALIBU, Calif. – Several mudslides and landslides caused by a multiday atmospheric river storm that pounded California with relentless rain and flash flooding this week kept crews busy clearing rocks and debris from roads.
A stretch of Malibu Canyon Road in Malibu was closed Wednesday after a massive mudslide sent tons of rocks and debris tumbling down the mountain into the swollen Malibu Creek below.
"We’ve been seeing front-end loaders picking up large bucketfuls of debris and mud," FOX Weather Correspondent Max Gorden said. "We’ve actually seen rocks the size of cars that have tumbled down onto this section of roadway."
Gorden said that when search and rescue teams arrived at the scene, they said they found at least one car that had been damaged by the mudslide, but they weren’t able to find a driver.
They said they believed that the driver was able to escape the mudslide on their own or may have been picked up by a passing driver.
SEE IT: ATMOSPHERIC RIVER TRIGGERS CALIFORNIA LANDSLIDES, HIGH-WATER RESCUES
Mudslide closes 12-mile stretch of road near Ojai, California
Watch: Massive mudslide in California closes road near Santa Paula
Crews are working to clear mud and debris from a road near Santa Paula in California after a massive mudslide on Wednesday. There's no word on when the road will be allowed to reopen.
Caltrans said State Route 150 was closed in both directions between Stonegate Road and Steckel Park in Santa Paula, near Ojai, in Ventura County because of a mudslide, and that road is expected to remain closed for several weeks.
Crews have been busy trying to stabilize the hillside and remove debris after massive amounts of rocks and debris flowed down the hill.
Video shared by FOX 11 in Los Angeles showed at least one home on the hill that barely escaped the brunt of the mudslide and cracks that had formed in the roadway.
No injuries have been reported.
Pacific Coast Highway reopens in Malibu
Another mudslide forced officials to close the iconic Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on Wednesday.
Caltrans said the road was closed from Latigo Canyon Road to Corral Canyon Road, and crews worked throughout the night to dislodge loose boulders at the hilltop to make it safe for crews clearing the roadway.
In an update Thursday morning, Caltrans said both southbound lanes of the Pacific Coast Highway were reopened around 6 a.m. PST, and the northbound left lane was also reopened.
However, the northbound right lane was to remain closed through the next storm, which is expected to impact the area next week as a cross-country storm moves into the West Coast.