California town- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's home- evacuated. Here's why

Prince Harry-Meghan Markle: Montecito, where entertainment royalty Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Aniston also live, was expected to get up to 20 centimeters of rain in 24 hours.

The California town- which is home to Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle- has been ordered to be evacuated as soon as possible, new agency AFP reported, amid warnings of mudslides.

California Rainfall: California has been lashed by a parade of storms that have already killed 12 people. (AP)

Montecito, where entertainment royalty Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Aniston also live, was expected to get up to 20 centimeters of rain in 24 hours, following weeks of heavy rainfall. Emergency authorities in the town said anyone in the area should immediately evacuate.

"LEAVE NOW! This is a rapidly evolving situation. Please pay close attention to emergency alerts," a fire department website said, as per AFP. The town is considered vulnerable to mudslides owing to its proximity to the the foot of a mountain range that was damaged by fire five years ago.

"Over the last 30 days, Montecito has received 12-20 inches of rain across the community, exceeding our yearly average of 17 inches," Montecito Fire said on Twitter, adding, "This cumulative, saturating rain puts the community at greater risk of flooding and debris flow."

Ellen DeGeneres posted a video on Twitter showing the aftermath of heavy rainfall as more is expected.

“This is crazy. This creek next to our house never ever flows. It's probably about nine feet up, and it's going to go another two feet,” she wrote.

California has been lashed by a parade of storms that have already killed 12 people. A large part of the state is under flood warnings amid near-record rainfall in the recent weeks.

"Two major episodes of heavy rain and heavy mountain snow are expected to impact California in quick succession during the next couple of days in association with two of the more energetic and moisture-laden parade of cyclones that are aiming directly for" the weather agency warned.

More rain is set to follow through the week. Earlier, a state of emergency was declared in the state which was later granted a presidential emergency declaration as well.

More than 100,000 homes were without electricity amid the heavy downpour.

“The cumulative effect of successive heavy rainfall events will lead to additional instances of flooding. This includes rapid water rises, mudslides, and the potential for major river flooding. Susceptible terrain and areas near recent burn scars will be most at risk for debris flows and rapid runoff,” the weather agency warned.