Man and his dog rescued during dramatic floods in California storm

A powerful storm in California has prompted the evacuation of thousands of people – with a man and his dog among those plucked from the floods.

Record-breaking rain has poured in the western US state, with debris-flows and mudslides taking over the region.

In San Luis Obispo County in central California, rescuers reported pulling 10 people from the Salinas River on March 22.

Among those plucked from the water was a man and his dog, who can be seen being winched into a California Highway Patrol helicopter.

A helmeted rescuer is also pictured swimming behind a man he is rescuing from the muddy, rain-swollen river in the city of Paso Robles.

The downpour follows a series of wildfires and landslides in California that have devastated the Montecito and Santa Barbara areas.

A helmeted rescuer is also pictured swimming behind a man he is rescuing from the muddy, rain-swollen Salinas River in the city of Paso Robles

He can be seen being helped to safety by rescuers during the dramatic aftermath of the storm

The Pacific storm – caused by an ‘atmospheric river’ also known as a ‘pineapple express’ – was thought to be on its last legs Friday morning.

All remaining flood warnings and watches were set to expire overnight.

The three-day storm spared communities a repeat of the deadly debris flows following a deluge earlier this year.

But it did dump record rainfall in some parts of the US state and unleash extensive flooding.

Some areas saw more than two inches of rain affecting their neighbourhoods. 

Dramatic rescues were reported from Los Angeles in Southern California all the way to Folsom, some 645 kilometers to the north. 

Areas in Los Angeles saw over two inches of rain affect their neighborhoods in the storm 

A satellite image from Wednesday reveal the strength of the Pacific Storm nicknamed the ‘Pineapple Express’