Torrential rainfall battered large parts of the California coastline on Christmas Eve, unleashing widespread flash flooding, brief tornado warnings and dangerous debris flows that turned streets into waterways and sent mud cascading down hillsides.
Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency across multiple counties, including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Shasta, as Southern California faced an unusually severe flood threat just a year after devastating wildfires scorched parts of the region.
More than 43 million people across California, southern Nevada and northwestern Arizona were placed under flood watches on Wednesday due to a rare high risk of excessive rainfall. Major metropolitan areas affected include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego and Las Vegas.
Local reports indicated that the Inland Empire east of Los Angeles absorbed the initial impact of the storm system. In San Bernardino County, intense rainfall triggered destructive debris flows, prompting mandatory evacuations in Wrightwood. Authorities confirmed that Highway 2, a key mountain route, became completely impassable.
Emergency crews conducted door-to-door rescues after several residents became trapped in flooded vehicles, while officials urged those in high-risk zones to evacuate immediately. With additional rainfall forecast, further evacuation orders were issued Wednesday evening for areas north of Wrightwood.
In Sacramento County, at least one fatality was reported following what authorities described as an apparent weather-related crash amid heavy rain. Elsewhere, the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station said deputies were responding to multiple reports of vehicles stranded on submerged roads, advising residents to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary.
Meteorologists attributed the extreme conditions to a series of atmospheric rivers delivering intense rainfall and strong winds, significantly increasing the risk of flooding, landslides and rapidly overflowing rivers and streams.
Governor Newsom said the state had acted swiftly by activating emergency powers, deploying resources in advance and coordinating closely with local authorities to protect lives and property.
A high-risk warning for excessive rainfall remains in effect across Los Angeles and surrounding transport corridors, including Interstate 10 from San Bernardino to Santa Monica, Highway 101 toward Thousand Oaks, Interstate 5 through Burbank and Santa Clarita, and routes extending to Pyramid Lake and along Interstate 210. Officials cautioned that travel in these areas is strongly discouraged due to the likelihood of flooded roadways and inundated low-lying neighborhoods.
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