Rare October storm in Southern California prompts evacuations and causes freeway accidents

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A rare October storm pummeled Southern California with several inches of rain on Tuesday, swelling rivers, causing freeway accidents and prompting evacuations in wildfire-scarred neighborhoods where the threat of mudslides was high.

The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings in several counties where recent fires left hillsides without vegetation to hold soil in place, making it easier for the terrain to loosen during storms.

By Tuesday afternoon, most areas had recorded up to 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) of rain, according to the National Weather Service for Los Angeles. Over 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) fell in the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of LA.

Firefighters rescued two people and two dogs from the swollen Los Angeles River. A 45-year-old man was hospitalized for exposure and a 30-year-old woman declined transport, the city fire department said.

Authorities ordered the evacuation of about 115 homes, mostly in Pacific Palisades and Mandeville Canyon, where a massive inferno swept through in January. That fire killed more than 30 people and destroyed over 17,000 homes and buildings in Los Angeles County. Evacuation orders were lifted by Tuesday evening.

Fires make the soil become “an oil-like surface” that is impermeable, said David Roth, a forecaster with the Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.

“It takes years for that to really wear off. The first year after a severe fire or a significant fire is the worst year, and just everything runs off. It’s almost like the ground has become asphalt,” Roth said.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other officials warned residents across the region to remain alert and stay indoors.

Still, Alex and Kateryna Tsykhanivski made a wet morning trek to the Griffith Observatory, which usually offers sweeping vistas of Los Angeles. The view Tuesday was obscured by heavy clouds as downpours intensified.

“It doesn’t rain much in LA. So every time we see rain, we like to go out,” Alex Tsykhanivski said.

Southern California has seen little precipitation this year, with much of the region under moderate or severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

“It's definitely welcome rain,” said Curtis Riganti, a climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center. “But how much it helps ... it's too soon to tell.”

He said the center will analyze the storm's potential impact on drought conditions over the next week.

At least two tornado warnings were issued and rockslides were reported, but there was no immediate word of major damage. More than 21,000 customers in Southern and central California had already lost power, according to PowerOutage.us.

In February, torrential rains unleashed debris flows and mudslides in several neighborhoods torched by the January fires. In the community of Sierra Madre, near the site of the Eaton Fire, water, debris and boulders rushed down the mountain, trapping cars in the mud and damaging several home garages. A portion of the Pacific Coast Highway by Pacific Palisades was submerged in at least 3 feet (1 meter) of sludge, and a swift debris flow swept a Los Angeles Fire Department vehicle into the ocean.

Concerns about post-fire debris flows have been especially high since 2018, when mudslides ravaged the Santa Barbara County community of Montecito after a downpour hit burned mountain slopes.

In California's Sierra Nevada, the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area said it was snowing Tuesday morning. Up to 3 feet (1 meter) of snow was predicted for parts of the mountain range.

Elsewhere in the U.S., about 100 residents in the southwestern Colorado mountain town of Pagosa Springs were out of their homes and schools were closed Tuesday. Evacuation orders were lifted by evening.

That happened because the San Juan River flooded its banks after Tropical Storm Raymond dumped more rain Monday. It was the second tropical storm to drench the saturated region since the weekend.

In Tempe, Arizona, a microburst and thunderstorm on Monday dropped about a half-inch (1.3 centimeters) of rain within 10 minutes, the weather service said. The storm uprooted trees that toppled onto vehicles and buildings. A business complex had its roof torn off, and thousands of homes lost power.

City Manager Rosa Inchausti said Tuesday that residents could not return to nine apartment buildings and several homes that had been deemed uninhabitable after the extreme weather.

In Alaska over the weekend, Typhoon Halong brought hurricane-force winds, storm surges and floodwaters that swept away some homes. One person was dead and two were missing in the western part of the state, while more than 50 people had been rescued — some plucked from rooftops.

In the Eastern U.S., a man spotted in the rough seas off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, by a passing ferry was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard on Monday.

The Falmouth police and fire departments were alerted after the crew of a Steamship Authority Ferry spotted the person bobbing amid 6-foot waves (1.8 meters) and poor visibility. A Coast Guard rescue diver hoisted the person to safety aboard a helicopter. The man was expected to survive, the Coast Guard said.

This version corrects the spelling of Alex and Kateryna Tsykhanivski’s names. They were incorrectly spelled as Katarina Tsykhanivsky and Alex Tsykhanivsky.

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Golden reported from Seattle. Contributing were Associated Press journalists Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; Christopher Weber and Damian Dovarganes in Los Angeles; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Julie Walker in New York City; Isabella O'Malley in Philadelphia; Michael Casey in Boston; and Colleen Slevin in Denver.

Rain comes down on a neighborhood in the Palisades Fire zone on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Tourists from Poland carry umbrellas as rain falls while visiting the Griffith Observatory Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

A man bikes along a flooded path after heavy rains Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Tourists from Poland carry umbrellas in front of the Hollywood sign as rain falls while visiting the Griffith Observatory Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

A lone dog walker braves the pouring rain in the Encino section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Beachfront properties damages by the Palisades Fire are shown during a storm on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Morning commuters maneuver a flooded street during a flash flood warning in the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

A homeless person walks under gusty showers in East Los Angeles early morning Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

A car crosses under the dark the Sixth Street Viaduct downtown Los Angeles early morning Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

A Federal guard walks to work as gusty showers move over downtown Los Angeles early morning Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

A uprooted tree is seen damaged after a storm moved through Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Sejal Govindarao)

A car traverses a flooded freeway ramp on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

In this aerial photo provided by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, the city of Kotzebue, Alaska experiences flooding, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities via AP)

In this aerial photo provided by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, the city of Kotzebue, Alaska, experiences flooding, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities via AP)

In this photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, Kipnuk, Alaska, experiences coastal flooding, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

In this photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, Kipnuk, Alaska, experiences coastal flooding, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Bo Bichette and the New York Mets agreed Friday to a $126 million, three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was subject to a successful physical and had not been announced.

A two-time All-Star at shortstop with the Toronto Blue Jays, Bichette will move to third base with the Mets, who have Francisco Lindor at shortstop. Bichette has never played a professional game at the hot corner.

Bichette can opt out of the deal after the first or second season to become a free agent again. He would receive $47 million for one year and $89 million for two years, the person said.

The deal does not contain any deferred money and Bichette gets a full no-trade provision. His $42 million average annual value ties for the sixth-highest in baseball history.

It was the latest big development in an eventful offseason for the Mets, who angered fans by letting popular slugger Pete Alonso and star closer Edwin Díaz leave in free agency. President of baseball operations David Stearns also traded two other stalwarts in outfielder Brandon Nimmo and versatile veteran Jeff McNeil — both homegrown players.

New York signed closer Devin Williams to a $51 million, three-year contract, infielder Jorge Polanco to a $40 million, two-year deal and reliever Luke Weaver to a $22 million, two-year agreement.

Although he lacks Alonso's prodigious power, Bichette is a proven hitter with lightning-fast hands and a penchant for line-drive doubles. He would give the Mets a dangerous right-handed bat to help complement lefty slugger Juan Soto.

Because of his inexperience at third, however, Bichette becomes the latest question mark in the field for New York even though Stearns has insisted the team must improve its defense and is determined to do so.

Polanco has one pitch of major league experience at first base, where he and Mark Vientos, previously a third baseman, are the leading candidates to replace Alonso.

New York had planned to start Brett Baty at third, where he provides a strong glove. Baty, who also has experience at second base, is viewed as a versatile defender who could see time in the outfield and perhaps at first.

Or, the Mets could look to trade Baty for pitching or outfield help. Gold Glove winner Marcus Semien is set to play second after arriving from Texas in a November trade for Nimmo.

Bichette batted .311 with 18 home runs, 94 RBIs and an .840 OPS in 139 games for the Blue Jays last year. He homered off Shohei Ohtani in Game 7 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Late last season, Bichette sprained his left knee in a Sept. 6 collision with New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells, keeping the infielder out of the lineup until the World Series. He returned for Game 1 against the Dodgers and played second base for the first time in six years.

Bichette led the American League in hits in 2021 and 2022. He finished second in the major leagues in batting average last season to Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.

Bichette turned down a $22,025,000 qualifying offer from the Blue Jays in November, so they would receive an extra draft pick in July after the fourth round if he completes his deal with the Mets.

New York would forfeit its second- and fifth-highest draft picks, along with $1 million in 2027 international signing bonus pool allocation.

Bichette was one of the last remaining big-name hitters on the free agent market after outfielder Kyle Tucker spurned the Mets and agreed Thursday to a $240 million, four-year contract with the Dodgers.

Bichette, who turns 28 in March, has spent his entire career with the Blue Jays since they selected him in the second round of the 2016 amateur draft. He is a .294 career hitter with 111 home runs and an .806 OPS in 748 major league games.

He is a son of former big league slugger Dante Bichette, a four-time All-Star outfielder.

AP Baseball Writers Ronald Blum and David Brandt and AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston contributed to this report.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

FILE - Toronto Blue Jays' Bo Bichette celebrates his three run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning in Game 7 of baseball's World Series, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)

FILE - New York Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns responds to questions during a news conference about MLB trade deadline deals, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith, File)