On Friday, the storied coastal road had dissolved into a river of mud and debris after a powerful rainstorm sent those burned hillsides careening toward the ocean, turning canyons into rivers of mud and rocks.

Flooding, mudslides and debris flows caused by the heaviest rain in Los Angeles and southern California in a year shut Pacific Coast Highway from approximately Santa Monica to the Malibu Pier.

PCH's closure has severely disrupted local transportation networks and emergency response capabilities across Los Angeles County.

The biggest storm of the winter walloped Southern California on Thursday, but by Friday morning conditions were improving as the storm subsided.

In Santa Barbara, people living in at-risk areas were told to leave by 3 p.m. Wednesday. The National Weather Service in Los Angeles said on X around 5 p.m. local time that the storm was "rapidly intensifying" over Los Angeles County.

Southern California was primed for more mudslides and flooding on Friday, especially in areas scorched by last month's devastating wildfires, even as heavy rains that have saturated the Los Angeles area this week tapered off.