La Tuna Canyon, CA

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Another powerful weather system is sweeping into California this week, bringing a possibly deadly storm to the Bay Area and potential flooding to Southern California.

Evacuation warnings are being issued for multiple Southern California communities that have experienced wildfires in the last two years, as the National Weather Service predicts flooding is possible over a wide swath of the region.

In Santa Barbara County, mandatory evacuation orders were issued for residents in the burn areas of the Thomas, Alisal and Cave fires.

Among the towns ordered to evacuate was Montecito, where five years ago huge boulders, mud and debris swept down mountains through the town to the shoreline, killing 23 people and destroying more than 100 homes. The town is home to many celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan.

SoCal could see up to three inches of rain fall in an intense downpour Wednesday night into Thursday morning, leading to potential flooding and dangerously high waves at the beach. Winds in the deserts will reach dangerous speeds around 60-65 mph, bringing them just a little short of hurricane power.

The northern part of the state will see even more dangerous weather conditions. Meteorologists from our sister station KGO-TV in San Francisco forecast winds up to 60 mph with heavy rain, expected to knock down trees and power poles while also triggering mudslides and flooding. The National Weather Service is warning of a potential loss of human life caused by the storm.

RELATED | What to know about SoCal's 'bomb cyclone'

Evacuation warnings issued

Southern California communities that have seen significant wildfires over the last two years are being warned to prepare for potentials flows of mud and debris during this week's storm.

An evacuation warning has been issued for the Lake Hughes and Kings Canyon areas because of possible mud flows from Wednesday through Friday. The warning means residents are advised to be prepared to possibly evacuate on short notice. That includes gathering up vital supplies and documents and listening closely to forecasts and alerts.

Additional warnings have been issued for areas still recovering from the 2020 Lake Fire and the north end of the Bobcat Fire. Evacuation warnings were in place for those areas from 1 p.m. Wednesday through 6 a.m. Friday.

County officials are urging people to protect their homes and businesses with sandbags.

Los Angeles County is forecasting what it calls a possible "Phase 2" mudflow for about a dozen areas hit by fires since 2020.

Those areas include La Tuna Canyon, which saw the Land Fire in September 2022 and the city of Duarte, which saw the Fish Fire in June 2022. Other burn-scar areas that saw wildfires in 2020 and are still facing potential danger can be found at this link.

LA County describes a Phase 2 forecast as: "Moderate debris and mudflows possible at more widespread locations. Some streets may be completely blocked by debris. Depending on location and terrain, some structures may be endangered, in addition to those advised to be prepared to evacuate with any forecast of rain."

The National Weather Service says flooding is possible over large swaths of Southern California. "Flash Flood WATCH in effect over ALL of southwest California. A lot of water is coming. Areas of most concern of significant flooding include roads, streams, and recent burn areas," the service tweeted.

The storm is also likely to bring 2-5 feet of snow to the Sierras in central California, providing a helpful boost to the state's water supply left low by years of drought.

On Wednesday morning, California declared a state of emergency to help with response and recovery efforts to the winter storm moving across the state.

According to a tweet from Gov. Newsom's office, the proclamation will allow the state to respond quickly to support local governments in their ongoing response.

Southern California won't be hit quite so hard as the Bay Area, but will still see strong storm conditions, including dangerously high waves and rip currents at the beaches.

The rain started in Southern California at a lighter pace during the daytime Wednesday, and it is expected to turn into a heavy downpour in the overnight hours. At times, up to an inch of rain per hour could fall overnight.

Full forecast from ABC7 here.

Thursday morning will be a difficult and potentially dangerous commute on many roads across the Southland.

A flood watch has been issued for much of the region, especially areas still recovering from wildfires.

A high wind watch has also been issued for Ventura County lasting through early Thursday morning.

A beach hazard warning has also been issued, saying waves of 10-14 are possible off Orange County and San Diego as well as Ventura County.

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Communities in vulnerable parts of Southern California are preparing for a storm that is expected to bring heavy flooding and high surf to the beaches.

Local communities in Southern California are preparing for the storm, particularly in vulnerable areas such as beachside communities and areas scarred by wildfires.

"We're worried about three factors mainly," said Lt. Chris Pierce with the Seal Beach Marine Safety Department. "It's gonna be rain coming down that will saturate the ground. It'll be surf that's gonna push additional water up onto the already saturated ground, in combination with the already-high tides."

In Duarte, an area burned by the Fish Fire, city crews erected K-rails near homes as a precaution. The area has seen mudslides during significant rain events since that fire burned in 2016.

In Los Angeles, Laurel Canyon Boulevard was Wednesday morning so that crews could put up K-rails and make other preparations for possible flooding.

The heavy rain will taper off just in time for the weekend, but more rain is expected to hit Southern California early next week.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

LOS ANGELES, Sept 3 (Reuters) – More than a thousand firefighters battling the largest wildfire in Los Angeles history contended with erratic winds on Sunday, but more moderate temperatures could help contain a blaze that has forced hundreds to evacuate their homes, officials said.

The nearly 5,900-acre (2400-hectare) La Tuna Fire, named after the canyon area near the northern edge of Los Angeles where it erupted on Friday, has destroyed three homes and damaged one.

Authorities had evacuated more than 700 homes in a Los Angeles neighborhood and in nearby Burbank and Glendale.

READ MORE: La Tuna Fire on edge of L.A. spreads after forcing evacuations

The blaze in thick brush that has not burned in decades was slowly creeping down rugged hillsides toward houses and was only 10 percent contained by Sunday.

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“Our priority is to put firefighters in a position to protect lives and property,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said at a news conference on Sunday. “There’s a lot of fuel out there left to burn.”

Temperatures in the area have hovered around 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) in recent days. But the mercury is expected to ease to between 90 and 94 degrees in most of the area throughout Sunday.

READ MORE: B.C. wildfire Sunday: Evacuation order expanded for Moyie Lake and Lake Koocanusa areas

“That is our number one concern,” Terrazas said. “Today and the rest of the week we believe that the weather will become more favorable.”

Fire officials offered the same estimate on the size of the fire as they did on Saturday night, but will update the number later in the day.

WATCH: Burned out cars, homes, and appliances in aftermath of La Tuna fire

0:35 Burned out cars, homes, and appliances in aftermath of La Tuna fire in California

Wind speeds in the area were moving at 3 to 5 miles per hour with gusts up to 12 mph, Terrazas said.

“That can change in a moment’s notice and the winds can accelerate very quickly,” he added.

On Saturday night, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti declared an emergency, ordering “all available resources” deployed to protect residents and property. He said the fire was the largest in the city’s history in terms of acreage.

More than 1,000 firefighters from Los Angeles Fire Department and surrounding cities were fighting the blaze, with additional help from state and federal agencies.

WATCH: Wildfire that ravaged Fort McMurray extinguished after 459 days

0:50 Wildfire that ravaged Fort McMurray extinguished after 459 days

Terrazas said at least two firefighters suffered minor heat-related injuries and illnesses.

The fire could make air unhealthy to breathe in parts of Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest city, and nearby suburbs, the South Coast Air Quality Management District said in an advisory.

More than 400 miles (644 km) to the north, the so-called Ponderosa Fire has burned nearly 4,000 acres, or about 1,618 hectares, and destroyed 32 homes in Butte County since it broke out on Tuesday, prompting evacuation orders to residents of some 500 homes. The blaze was 56 percent contained.

Wildfire on edge of Los Angeles spreads after triggering evacuations

The La Tuna wildfire rages in the Verdugo Mountains above Burbank, CA on September 2, 2017. (Photo by Paul Mounce/Getty Images)

By Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A wildfire on the northern edge of Los Angeles rapidly grew on Saturday into what the mayor called the largest blaze in the city's history, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of people and the closure of a major highway. The 5,000-acre (2,023-hectare) La Tuna Fire, named after the canyon area where it erupted on Friday, has led authorities to evacuate more than 700 homes in a north Los Angeles neighborhood and in nearby Burbank and Glendale, officials said. Authorities warned of erratic winds that could force them to widen the evacuation zone, after the fire destroyed one house in Los Angeles on Saturday. "Other than that, no loss of any property," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said at a news conference. "That is a pretty amazing thing." The fire was only 10 percent contained with more than 500 firefighters battling it. The blaze in thick brush that has not burned in decades was slowly creeping down a rugged hillside on Saturday toward houses, with temperatures in the area approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an alert. "This fire, which broke out yesterday, we can now say is the largest fire in the history of L.A. city, in terms of its acreage," Garcetti told reporters. The fire could make air unhealthy to breathe in parts of Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest city, and nearby suburbs, the South Coast Air Quality Management District said in an advisory. Video posted online by local media showed the fire burning along the 210 Freeway when it broke out on Friday, with smoke hovering over the roadway as cars passed by flames a few dozen feet away. Officials quickly closed a stretch of the freeway. More than 400 miles (644 km) to the north, the so-called Ponderosa Fire has burned 3,880 acres, or about 1,570 hectares, and destroyed 30 homes in Butte County since it broke out on Tuesday. It prompted authorities to issue evacuation orders earlier this week to residents of some 500 homes. The blaze was 45 percent contained. California Governor Jerry Brown issued an emergency declaration on Friday to free up additional resources to battle the Ponderosa blaze. Wildfires in the U.S. West have burned more than 7.1 million acres (2.9 million hectares) since the beginning of the year, about 50 percent more than during the same time period in 2016, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles and Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Helen Popper and Mary Milliken)

Crews fighting Los Angeles' largest wildfire on record made major progess Sunday, allowing hundreds of people to return home.

The so-called La Tuna fire was holding steady at about 5,865 acres in the San Fernando Valley, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. Mandatory evacuation orders that gad been in place for the cities of Glendale and Burbank and parts of Los Angeles were lifted Sunday night.

Interstate 210, one of the major arteries through the traffic-choked Los Angeles area, was reopened in all directions as containment estimates jumped from about 10 percent to about 25 percent in just a few hours Sunday afternoon, fire officials said.

Earlier, Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles County.

The fire burned three homes and damaged another, Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said Sunday. Four firefighters were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the fire department said.

Record-setting wildfire strikes California

Sept. 4, 201700:40

Terrazas said he expected cooler weather and possible showers to aid the more than 1,000 firefighters who were battling the blaze, although he cautioned at a news conference: "There is a lot of fuel out there left to burn."

The fire, which was threatening thousands of homes in Glendale, Burbank and Los Angeles, started Friday afternoon north of the 210 Freeway during a heat wave baking much of the state. Erratic winds helped it quickly spread. The Los Angeles Fire Department said Sunday that the cause was under investigation.

Residents described a restless night as they watched flames and smoke approaching from the valley's surrounding hillsides overnight Saturday. Giovanni Dal Monte, a Sun Valley resident, recalled just how close the fire was to his home.

"It came all the way down to the fence," Dal Monte told NBC Los Angeles.

Burbank resident Tracy Goldman, whose home sits at the base of the Verdugo Mountains, told NBC News on Saturday that she saw her worst fears materializing with the descending flames.

"Everything was on fire," she said Sunday. "This was like something I've never seen before."

But by Saturday afternoon, she said, a break in the brush helped the flames fizzle about 150 feet from her home.

"There was no vegetation left to burn," she said.

LOS ANGELES, CA — A powerful storm treated the Southland to another round of moderate to heavy rainfall Thursday, causing scattered flooding and a dramatic hillside collapse in La Tuna Canyon while continuing to raise fears of mud and debris flows in burn areas.

A large chunk of hillside just below La Tuna Canyon Road in the Sun Valley area gave way overnight amid an intense downpour. No homes are in the area, which was already under evacuation orders, so no structures were damaged and no injuries were reported.

The road had already been closed south of the Foothill (210) Freeway.

Find out what's happening in North Hollywood-Toluca Lakewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A large tree fell onto a house in Sherman Oaks, but no one was injured.

Flooded streets were reported around the area, including along Sand Canyon Road between Iron Canyon and Placerita canyon roads near Santa Clarita. A man was rescued by a good Samaritan in Canyon Country after his SUV was swept into a wash and overturned.

Find out what's happening in North Hollywood-Toluca Lakewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Voluntary evacuation orders were lifted Thursday afternoon for all affected areas of Burbank. The only restriction remaining in place was a mandatory evacuation for La Tuna Canyon Road from the 8300 to the 9000 blocks. The road remained closed from the 8300 block to the Foothill (210) Freeway.

Officials Wednesday had advised people who reside in the areas affected by the La Tuna Canyon, Creek and Skirball fires to prepare for evacuations and street closures, but late in the afternoon, evacuation orders that had been scheduled to take effect at 6 p.m. in the Kagel Canyon, Lopez Canyon and Little Tujunga Canyon areas were canceled due to an updated forecast.

The mandatory evacuations La Tuna Canyon Road did go into effect at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Shelters at the Sylmar Recreation Center and Westwood Recreation Center were closed Thursday evening, but the shelter at the Sun Valley Recreation Center, 8133 Vineland Ave., remained open.

The storm -- a Pacific weather system greatly beefed up by a subtropical atmospheric river -- was forecast to produce 1 to 3 inches of rain in Los Angeles County coastal and valley areas and between 2 and 5 inches in the mountains.

City News Service; Images courtesy of the LAPD