A powerful storm struck Southern California in the United States yesterday, causing flooding in several parts of coastal Los Angeles County.

The National Weather Service in Los Angeles and Oxnard said heavy rainfall reached rates of up to 2.5 centimetres per hour in coastal areas prone to flash flooding.

Last Friday, rainfall exceeding 10 centimetres was recorded in Santa Barbara County as the storm approached Los Angeles.

A long plume of tropical moisture that had formed over the Pacific Ocean began sweeping across the San Francisco Bay Area last Wednesday, bringing heavy rainfall to Southern California.