Rain from a powerful winter storm that pounded Southern California is starting to subside, but another storm system was on the horizon before Christmas Day with showers and possible thunderstorms.
Forecasters said Southern California could see its wettest Christmas in years and warned of flash flooding and mudslides. Areas beyond scorched forest fires in January saw evacuation warnings as heavy rains and gusty winds brought mudslides and debris flows.
Many flood areas were in burn zones, which have been stripped of vegetation by fire and are less able to absorb water.
San Bernardino County firefighters said they rescued people trapped in cars Wednesday as mud and debris flowed over a road leading to Wrightwood, a resort town in the San Gabriel Mountains about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles. It was not immediately clear how many were rescued.
Firefighters also went door to door checking homes, and the area was under a shelter-in-place order, officials said. An evacuation order was issued for Lytle Creek, also in the San Gabriel Mountains.
Travis Guenther and his family were trapped in Lytle Creek after roaring waters washed away the only bridge in or out of their neighborhood. More than a dozen neighbors sought shelter in a community center or found hotel rooms.
“Everyone who went to work this morning is stuck,” he said. “Half the families are here, and half the families are on the other side of the creek.”
Guenther said he had adequate supplies and was working with others in the community of about 280 people. Two nurses who live on his street offered to help anyone who might need medical attention.
Janice Quick, president of the Wrightwood Chamber of Commerce and a resident of the mountain town for 45 years, said a wildfire in 2024 left much of the property without trees.
The storm also stranded Dillan Brown, his wife and 14-month-old daughter in a rented cabin in Wrightwood, with almost no food and only enough diapers to last about another day. Roads leading from the mountain to a supermarket were blocked by rocks and debris, Brown said.
A resident heard about his situation and posted a call for help in a Facebook group. Within an hour, neighbors arrived with more than enough supplies to weather the storm, including bread, vegetables, milk, diapers and wipes.
“I think we’re a little sad and upset that we’re not going to be home with our families,” Brown said, but the “kindness shown is definitely an overwhelming feeling.”
Heavy rain
Residents around the burn areas of the Orange County airport fire were also ordered to evacuate.
Areas along the coast, including Malibu, are under flood warnings until Wednesday evening, and wind and flood advisories have been issued for much of the Sacramento Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Several roads, including a portion of Interstate 5 near the Burbank Airport, are closed due to flooding.
The storms were the result of several atmospheric rivers with enormous plumes of moisture from the tropics during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.
Southern California typically gets 1.3 to 2.5 inches of rain this time of year, but this week many areas could see between 4 and 8 inches, with even more in the mountains, National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Wofford said.
Snow at higher altitudes
Heavy snow and gusty winds created “near whiteout conditions” in parts of the Sierra Nevada and made traveling over the mountain passes treacherous. Officials said there was a “significant” avalanche danger around Lake Tahoe and a winter storm warning was in effect until Friday morning.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in six counties to allow state assistance for storm responses.
The state deployed emergency resources and first responders to several coastal and Southern California counties, and the California National Guard was on standby.
The California Highway Patrol reported an apparent weather-related crash south of Sacramento that killed a Sacramento sheriff’s deputy. James Caravallo, who worked with the agency for 19 years, apparently drove at an unsafe speed, lost control on a wet road and crashed into a utility pole, CHP Officer Michael Harper said via email.
Associated Press writers Sophie Austin in Sacramento, Jessica Hill in Las Vegas and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed.
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