Yet that is exactly what many of us face at times from December to March: mud all over the lawn, mud that we track into the house, mud that gets all over your dog if you're a dog owner.

As an intense storm moved through Southern California, a debris flow sent mud down Mulholland Drive in Hollywood Hills -- leading to a full closure of the roadway Thursday evening, authorities said.

The image of a disaster recovery team trailer surrounded by mud and debris outside Duke's in Malibu illustrates what kind of year it has been for the scenic stretch of the Los Angeles County coast.