Parts of Southwest California on Sunday braced for heavy rains — potentially as much as an inch an hour — that could lead to life-threatening floods and “one of the most dramatic weather days in recent memory,” forecasters said. An intensifying coastal storm will strengthen an atmospheric river that will stream warm tropical moisture into California. Rare forecasts have been issued for life-threatening flooding, hurricane-force winds, waterspouts, tornadoes and heavy snowfall across California from Sunday into Monday. “This major storm will bring a multitude of dangerous weather conditions to the area,” the National Weather Service in Los Angeles said on Sunday morning. The Weather Prediction Center issued a rare “high risk” prediction of excessive rain in an area that extends from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara, saying eight or more inches of rain could fall in a 24-hour period.

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Organizations: National Weather Service, Prediction Locations: Southwest California, California, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara