Harry and Meghan’s Montecito neighborhood is under flash flood warnings with dozens trapped in cars as nearby Oxnard is submerged amid fears tornadoes could rip through parts of California as super storm hits

Harry and Meghan’s neighborhood is under flash flood warnings as a super storm hits southern California.

Heavy rains have drenched parts of California, bringing the threat of flooding and mudslides to the region, the National Weather Service said.

Thunderstorms are covering Santa Barbara and Montecito, where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex live with their children.

In nearby Oxnard, residents have reported being trapped in their cars as multiple streets in the area are submerged with water. 

A tornado warning has been issued for central Ventura County until 2am local time. Meteorologists have warned that a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near Oxnard early Thursday morning, moving north at 15 mph.

Harry and Meghan’s neighborhood is under flash flood warnings as a super storm hits southern California. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pictured in September at the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany

Heavy rains have drenched parts of California, bringing the threat of flooding and mudslides to the region, the National Weather Service said

Thunderstorms are covering Santa Barbara and Montecito, where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex live with their children, and a flash flood warning is currently in effect

A Oxnard resident shares footage of the heavy rains striking the area this morning

The storm, more powerful and widespread than one that blew in earlier in the week, is expected to jumpstart a laggard rainy season just a year after California was inundated by a series of atmospheric rivers that refilled reservoirs that had been emptied by a prolonged drought.

The Pacific storm centered offshore was moving gradually southeastward, sending bands of rain ashore and hitting particularly hard on the central coast after sweeping through the San Francisco Bay Area. Flood watches were posted all the way south to San Diego.

California´s rain came as the Northeast battled the effects of storms that brought floods and downed trees, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands and killing at least five people.

More than 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) of rain had fallen by late Wednesday morning in the Santa Ynez Mountains – the steep backdrop to the south Santa Barbara County’s ‘American Riviera’ communities – and more bands of heavy rain were expected to follow.

The storm has been very unstable, and at times on Wednesday, forecasters issued marine warnings for coastal waters due to severe thunderstorms capable of producing waterspouts.

The storm, more powerful and widespread than one that blew in earlier in the week, is expected to jumpstart a laggard rainy season just a year after California was inundated by a series of atmospheric rivers that refilled reservoirs that had been emptied by a prolonged drought

Southbound lanes on US Highway 101 in South San Francisco, California flood during a storm on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023

People walk through wet conditions along Seacliff State Beach in Aptos, California on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023

Santa Cruz County public works employees clear a storm drain in the Rio Del Mar neighborhood of Aptos, California on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023

A surfer jumps in the water near Steamer Lane as storm clouds approach in Santa Cruz, California on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023

The pace of the storm also was proving difficult to forecast. The San Diego-area weather office pushed back the timing of the heaviest rain there to Thursday and Friday.

Flood watches were issued from the central California coast to San Diego with warnings of a high risk of roadway flooding that could prompt travel delays, as well as rockslides, mudslides and debris flows from wildfire burn scars. 

The severe weather could pose a problem for some of the 9.5 million Southern Californians that the Auto Club predicts will be traveling for the holidays.

The relative warmth of the storm meant that snowfall would be mostly limited to high elevations in the southern Sierra Nevada and some Southern California ranges.

The California Highway Patrol office in South Lake Tahoe said in social media posts that the storm, nonetheless, was ‘making a mess,’ producing rain, sleet, snow and icy roads.

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