California ‘bombogenesis’ storm pushes north

A fierce storm, dubbed “bombogenesis” or “weather bomb”, has eased in southern California, while pressing on further north in the US state.

Torrential rain, flash floods and mud slides wreaked havoc on Friday and early Saturday, killing at least five people.

Metrologists said it was the worst storm to hit California in years.

Forecasters warned residents in the north, including San Francisco, to expect more heavy rain on Sunday.

Meteorologists described the storm as “bombogenesis”, an intense extra-tropical cyclonic low-pressure area, or “a weather bomb”.

One man was killed after a tree fell and pulled a power line on to his car in the Sherman Oaks area of Los Angeles.

A second person died in a vehicle when it was submerged by a flash flood in the town of Victorville.

Two others died in car accidents in the San Diego area, and another person was found dead after being swept into a creek in Ventura County.

Evacuation orders were lifted in the towns of Duarte on Saturday afternoon (local time).

The north of the state has already experienced fears of flooding at the tallest dam in the country, Oroville Dam, when more than 180,000 residents were evacuated from their homes last week.

Authorities at the dam have been working to lower the level of the lake and have said it has continued to fall despite the storm.