A powerful winter storm swept across California on Wednesday, with heavy rain and gusty winds leading to evacuation warnings for mudslides in the south, bringing near white-out snow conditions in the mountains and hazardous travel for millions of holiday drivers.
Forecasters said Southern California could see its wettest Christmas in years and warned about flash flooding and mudslides. Areas scorched by January’s wildfires were under evacuation warnings, and Los Angeles County officials said Tuesday they were going door to door to about 380 especially vulnerable homes to order residents to evacuate.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department also issued an evacuation warning Wednesday morning for the community of Wrightwood, a mountain resort town in the San Gabriel Mountains about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, due to potential mud and debris flows from the storm.
Debris and mud were seen rushing down the road leading into Wrightwood in a social media video posted by county fire officials. Crews were working to evacuate some homes, the post said. County officials didn’t immediately return questions about the evacuation.
Areas along the coast, including Malibu, were under flood warnings Wednesday, local officials said. Much of the Sacramento Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area were also under wind and flood advisories.
Heavy rain douses Southern California
Early Wednesday, the Los Angeles Fire Department rescued a man trapped in a drainage tunnel in northwest LA that led down to a river. No injuries were reported, but the man is being evaluated.
Several roadways across the regions were closed due to flooding.
Conditions could worsen as multiple atmospheric rivers move across the state during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. The storm in Los Angeles was expected to strengthen into Wednesday afternoon before tapering off later in the evening.
James Dangerfield, an 84-year-old Altadena resident, said his family and neighbor helped place sandbags in his backyard earlier this week. His neighborhood was under a flash flood warning as of Wednesday morning, but he wasn’t too worried.
He lives on a hill, so most rain water flows away from them, he said. For now, he and his wife, Stephanie, planned on staying in the house and spending Christmas Eve with their two adult daughters and grandchildren.
“We’re just going to stay put and everybody will have to come to us. We’re not going to go anywhere,” he said.
Mike Burdick, who takes care of his elderly parents in Altadena, said he ran out to buy more sandbags Wednesday morning when he saw that the pool was already overflowing. His parents live just a block under the Eaton Fire burn scars, he said.
“I literally woke up to just downpour,” he said.
The family was prepared to evacuate with a week’s worth of essentials for the family, including for their dog and cat. They’re planning to attend a nearby holiday party in the evening.
“We’re just going to make an appearance and get back safe to our animals,” he said.
Southern California typically gets half an inch to 1 inch of rain this time of year, but this week many areas could see between 4 and 8 inches, National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Wofford said. It could be even more in the mountains.
Much of California is under weather warnings
Forecasters also warned that heavy snow and gusts were expected to create “near white-out conditions” in parts of the Sierra Nevada and make it “nearly impossible” to travel through the mountain passes. As of Wednesday morning, there was also a “considerable” avalanche risk around Lake Tahoe, according to the Sierra Avalanche Center.
The National Weather Service said a winter storm warning would be in effect for the Greater Tahoe Region until Friday morning.
In Monterey along the central coast, wind gusts reportedly reached 60 mph (97 kph). More than 5,000 people lost power Tuesday night due to a damaged power pole, according to Pacific Gas and Electric Co.
California Highway Patrol was also investigating a seemingly weather-related fatal crash Wednesday morning south of Sacramento. The driver reportedly traveled at an unsafe speed, lost control of their vehicle on the wet roads and crashed into a metal power pole, CHP Officer Michael Harper said in an email.
San Francisco and Los Angeles airports reported some minor flight delays Wednesday morning.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday also declared state of emergency in six counties to allow state assistance in storm response.
Atmospheric rivers transport moisture from the tropics to northern latitudes in long, narrow bands of water vapor that form over an ocean and flow through the sky.
The storm has already caused damage in Northern California, where flash flooding led to water rescues and at least one death, authorities said.
The state has deployed emergency resources and first responders to several coastal and Southern California counties, and the California National Guard remains on standby.
Associated Press writers Sophie Austin in Sacramento and Jessica Hill in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
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