WRIGHTWOOD, California — California, drenched by days of relentless rain and recovering from mudslides in mountain towns, was hit by another powerful storm on Christmas Day that prompted evacuation warnings and high surf advisories.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in Southern California has issued an evacuation warning for Wrightwood, a mountain town about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, a day after rescuing people trapped in cars during a mudslide.
The National Weather Service said waves could reach up to 25 feet near the San Francisco Bay Area on Friday.
According to PowerOutage.us, more than 70,000 people were without power across the country Thursday afternoon.
A day ago, heavy rain and strong winds were responsible for at least two deaths.
A major storm system moving toward the Midwest and Northeast was expected to disrupt travel, according to the National Weather Service.
A mix of freezing rain and sleet could produce icy conditions in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Maryland. Forecasters warned that heavy ice could cause disruptions. Snow was expected to hit the Northeast early Friday.
Roads in the California town of Wrightwood, population 5,000, were covered in rocks, debris and thick mud on Thursday. When the power went out, a gas station and a coffee shop running on generators served as hubs for residents and visitors.
“It really is a crazy Christmas,” said Jill Jenkins, who spent the holiday with her 13-year-old grandson, Hunter Lopiccolo.
Lopiccolo said the family was almost evacuated the previous day when water washed away part of their backyard. But they decided to stay and celebrated the holiday anyway. Lopiccolo has received a new snowboard and e-bike.
“We played card games all night with candles and flashlights,” he said.
Davey Schneider walked a mile and a half (1.6 kilometers) through rain and shin-deep floodwater from his Wrightwood home on Wednesday to rescue cats from his grandfather’s house, walking through shin-deep floodwater as it rained.
“I wanted to help them because I wasn’t sure they would live,” Schneider said Thursday. “Luckily they all survived. They’re all fine, just a little scared.”
Arlene Corte said the city’s roads turned into rivers, but her home was not damaged.
“It could be a lot worse,” she said. “We’re talking here.”
With more rain on the way, more than 150 firefighters were stationed in the area, said Shawn Millerick, spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
“We’re ready,” he said. “It’s all hands on deck at the moment.”
A falling tree killed a San Diego man on Wednesday, news media reported. Farther north, a Sacramento sheriff’s deputy died in what appeared to be a weather-related crash.
Areas along the coast, including Malibu, were under a flood watch until Friday afternoon, and wind and flood advisories were issued for much of the Sacramento Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area.
The storms were the result of atmospheric rivers carrying huge amounts of moisture from the tropics during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.
Southern California typically sees 1.3 to 2.5 inches of rain this time of year, but this week many areas could see between 4 and 8 inches, and even more in the mountains, National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Wofford said.
More heavy snow was expected in the Sierra Nevada, where gusty winds created “near whiteout conditions” and made travel over mountain passes treacherous. Officials said there was a “high” avalanche danger around Lake Tahoe and a winter storm warning was in effect through Friday.
Ski areas around Lake Tahoe recorded about 12 to 31 inches of snow overnight, said Tyler Salas, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Reno. Forecasters expect to see another 3 feet (91 centimeters) of snow through Friday, Salas said. The area could see wind gusts of 72 km per hour in low-lying areas and winds of 161 km per hour along mountain ridges.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in six counties to allow for state aid.
The state deployed resources and first responders to several coastal and Southern California counties, and the California National Guard was on standby.
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Associated Press writers Sophie Austin in Oakland, California, and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed.
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