Relentless storms from a series of atmospheric rivers have saturated the steep mountains and bald hillsides scarred from wildfires along much of California's long coastline, causing hundreds of landslides this month.
Dan Shugar, an associate professor of geoscience at the University of Calgary, said drought can have a counterintuitive effect when combined with the incredible rainfall California has seen in recent days.
In 2018, the deadly mudslides in Montecito occurred about a month after one of the largest fires in California’s history tore through the same area, charring 280,000 acres. Lancaster said California has dramatically increased its efforts to identify hotspots since the Montecito mudslides. His department continually updates its map so local communities are aware and can make decisions, including whether to evacuate an entire community.
Some might also not be big enough to deal with future slides worsened by climate change, Jerolmack said. McElroy said he’s still haunted by memories from 2018 but feels better, knowing that the community might be safer now.
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