Back-to-back storms in the Pacific are threatening to douse parts of the West for more than two weeks, thanks to a weather pattern driven by an El Niño that is tied with the strongest ever on record.<br />Storms drenched California Tuesday, with 1.42 inches of rain recorded at Los Angeles International Airport, breaking a daily record set in 1979, National Weather Service.<br />Santa Monica got nearly 1.5 inches of rain and Malibu got 1.76 inches over the last 24 hours as of 4 p.m. local time (7 p.m. ET), the NWS said.<br />Two more storms are forecast for Wednesday and Thursday, and could bring as much as 3 inches of rain, causing The National Weather Service to issue a flash-flood watch for California.
