Los Angeles Getting a Month's Worth of Rain in a Few Hours

California was being battered by the second of two back-to-back atmospheric rivers Sunday, with Los Angeles expected to get a month's worth of rain in just a few hours. A flash flood warning was issued for the city Sunday night as the Grammy Awards were taking place—and the warning did include the area where the ceremony was being held, CNN reports. (Miley Cyrus, accepting an award, said the rain had almost kept her from attending, the AP reports.) Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for eight of the state's counties, all of them in central and southern California, though northern California was also getting drenched. (And San Francisco got its first hurricane-force wind warning since records started being kept.)

Thunderstorms, waterspouts, and even brief tornadoes were possible in some areas. Widespread power outages were being reported amid strong winds, and evacuation orders were being issued in some areas due to the risk of "life-threatening" flooding and mudslides, UPI reports. Travel in the mountains, where heavy snowfall was expected, was advised against. The National Weather Service said LA could see rainfall rates of up to 1.5 inches per hour—a big deal, considering that during the entire month of January LA typically only sees a total of 3.38 inches of rain, Fox Weather reports. Up to six inches of rain total were expected in LA and nearby counties. In nearby mountains and their foothills, the total could reach up to 15 inches—more than LA's average of just over 14 inches per year. The storm is expected to last through Tuesday in southern California. (More California stories.)