A powerful March storm has been lashing the West Coast with heavy rainfall, gusty winds and snowfall in the mountains –– shifting southward and posing a particular threat to communities scorched by the deadly Los Angeles wildfires from the start of the year.

A strong storm system is expected to “blast through” Los Angeles and Orange County tonight, bringing a heavy dose of rain over a short period of time and prompting evacuation orders, flood warnings and road closures.

Dangerous, heavy rain is pounding the Los Angeles area, bringing a threat of flooding and debris flow to spots impacted by the recent devastating wildfires. The rain will fluctuate from heavy to

Officials in California have ordered the evacuation of neighborhoods near wildfire burn scars due to the risk of mudslides and debris flows as the region prepared to be pounded by an atmospheric river storm.