Flash flood warnings remained in effect in the San Diego area on 6 January as an El Niño-strengthened storm brought widespread rain to drought-stricken California. Several abandoned cars were seen almost entirely submerged at a flooded intersection, as heavy rains flooded parts of San Diego County.

Local media reported a brief tornado warning issued in the afternoon that was later cancelled. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued flash flood watches for much of the coast from San Diego to San Francisco on 5 January, saying the storms would linger through to 8 January.

California is in its fourth year of a drought that has cost the state's agricultural economy $1.84bn (£1.26bn), according to the University of California, Davis. The El Niño phenomenon, characterised by a warming of the Pacific Ocean that often brings precipitation to California, is expected to help ease the drought over the next few months, but experts caution the state's woes are far from over.

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