Los Angeles, USA – On February 16, 2026, Westwood was battered by a severe winter storm, sending torrents of rain across the streets and triggering widespread flash flood warnings. Dashcam footage filmed by Steve Manak captures the dramatic conditions as vehicles struggled through flooded roads.
The video opens through a rain-streaked windshield, wipers swiping furiously as a car moves along Wilshire Boulevard near Comstock Avenue. The street has transformed into a murky river, with fast-flowing currents swirling around tires and curbs. White SUVs and sedans push through knee-deep brown water, sending sprays of muddy splashes into the air while taillights reflect off the rippling surface.
Flooding intensifies as water rushes across lanes, pooling in low spots and forcing drivers to navigate deeper sections where it laps at car doors and threatens engines. Trees sway in the wind, debris floats by, and Westwood’s urban backdrop blurs under the relentless downpour. Cars inch forward cautiously, some hydroplaning amid hazardous conditions.
Wider views show intersections inundated, cross-traffic struggling, and water gushing from side streets, overwhelming storm drains. The scene highlights the storm’s ferocity, though no rescues or direct damage appear in this footage.
Rainfall rates reached 0.5 to 0.75 inches in just 15 minutes across central and southern LA County, causing life-threatening flash floods, rockslides, mudslides, and debris flows—especially in burn scar areas. Evacuation warnings were issued for regions including the Palisades and Topanga Canyon. The footage underscores the storm’s disruption in one of Los Angeles’ busiest neighborhoods amid a broader atmospheric river event.
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