Stormy weather brings slide worries to Southern California

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Residents of several Southern California mountain and canyon communities are being urged to voluntarily leave their homes because of possible mud and debris flows as potentially heavy rain approaches. The precautions come as stormy weather that had been mostly confined to Northern California spreads southward Thursday. The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for a large area east and southeast of Los Angeles starting Thursday evening. Forecasters say there could be heavy overnight rain fed by an atmospheric river. Orange County authorities have urged voluntary evacuation of three canyons and San Bernardino County officials have issued similar warnings for a half-dozen mountain areas.