Drone video captures aftermath of landslide that washed out part of California highway

MONTEREY COUNTY, California -- Drone video captured the aftermath of a landslide that took out a big chunk of a California highway.

The section of Highway 1 in Monterey County was washed out into the ocean following debris flow, flooding and mudslides near the San Luis Obispo County line.

California Highway Patrol officers in Monterey County shared a photo of the highway on social media.

Storm damage has closed sections of Hwy 1 south of Big Sur and near the Monterey County line.

It's unclear how long it will take to repair the roadway. In the meantime, the highway is closed, and drivers are asked to take alternate routes.

A CHP officer who was patrolling this area described what he saw. "Yesterday (Thursday) around 4 p.m., I was in the area, when I noticed this section of roadway, specifically the southbound lane, had fallen off into the ocean," said Ofc. John Yerace. "I stayed in the area until I was relieved last evening. Around 6 p.m., the roadway still consisted of a northbound lane. Some time overnight, prior to 6:30 in the morning, we responded back to the scene with the assistance of Caltrans access and realized that the roadway is now gone."

The washout looks incredible, but the CHP urged drivers to stay away.

RELATED: Big rig overturns, catches fire, hangs off edge of downtown LA freeway as storm causes slick roadways

At least 50 rain-related accidents occurred on Southland freeways Friday morning as a powerful storm moved through the region, including a tractor trailer that rolled over, caught fire and came to rest hanging over the edge of the 10 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles.

Forecasters said the "atmospheric river event'' had already dropped nearly 14 inches of rain in some parts of San Luis Obispo County throughout Wednesday and Thursday and Los Angeles County could see 1.5 to 3.5 inches of rain, with 2 to 5 inches possible in the foothills and mountains.

"On Friday, numerous showers, mountain snow showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms can be expected as a cold upper-level low pressure system affects the region,'' according to the NWS. "Dry weather will prevail Saturday through Monday as high pressure builds in over the region.''

SoCal weather: Major storm continues to slam region

City News Service contributed to this report.