A powerful March storm has been lashing the West Coast with heavy rainfall, gusty winds and snowfall in the mountains –– shifting southward and posing a particular threat to communities scorched by the deadly Los Angeles wildfires from the start of the year.

A strong storm system is expected to “blast through” Los Angeles and Orange County tonight, bringing a heavy dose of rain over a short period of time and prompting evacuation orders, flood warnings and road closures.

A powerful storm has hit the West Coast, causing evacuations in California and posing a severe weather threat as it moves east. The storm, fueled by an atmospheric river, began impacting the Pacific Northwest and Northern California with rain and snow early Wednesday (March 12),