LOS ANGELES — The toll from the atmospheric river poised over California climbed tragically Monday, as three people were killed by falling trees. The storm has spawned flooding and mudslides as it has blazed a damaging trail across the state.

All three people died Sunday in Northern California in separate incidents of downed trees, according to Brian Ferguson, spokesperson for the governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

In Sacramento County, 41-year-old Carmichael resident Chad Ensey suffered blunt-force trauma and died at a hospital after a tree fell on him in his backyard amid strong winds. In the rural Santa Cruz County community of Boulder Creek, Robert Brainard III, 45, was killed when a tree fell on his home. And in Sutter County, 82-year-old David Gomes was found dead beneath a fallen redwood tree in his backyard, authorities said.

The storm — which parked itself over the Los Angeles metropolitan area after hammering the Bay Area, Sacramento Valley and Central Coast — was not yet over Monday. But weather officials say the most dangerous conditions may have passed.

“The worst part to the storm was last night, but there’s still a risk,” Ryan Kittell, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard said Monday, noting that flood advisories remain in effect across the region, including some flash flood warnings through the evening for north L.A. County.

Already, the Southland has been inundated by astonishing rainfall, with many areas, including downtown Los Angeles and Culver City, receiving more than 6 inches in a 24-hour period and communities across the Santa Monica Mountains reporting more than 10 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

The deluge — which is expected to continue through the night and possibly beyond — flooded streets, closed major roadways, forced water rescues and sent mud and debris down canyon walls and hilly streets, including in Hollywood Hills, the Santa Monica Mountains and Studio City, where multiple homes were damaged and dozens were forced to evacuate.

Since the storm began, the Los Angeles Fire Department has responded to 130 flooding incidents, 49 mud and debris flows, half a dozen structure fires and several water rescues for stranded motorists, Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said Monday. A dog and its owner were rescued by firefighters from the L.A. River, while the county said it had saved five cats from rushing waters.

The storm prompted a state of emergency declaration from Gov. Gavin Newsom along with evacuation orders and warnings for residents in and around wildfire burn scars in Sun Valley, Topanga, Juniper Hills and other areas. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signed a declaration of a local emergency on Monday to help the city respond to the storm. Though the worst of the storm was past, Bass warned city residents to remain vigilant.

“We need Angelenos to be cautious, to be careful, to be safe and please, stay home,” she said at a Monday evening news conference.

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