Thousands of California residents found themselves under evacuation orders on Christmas morning, as disastrous floods and debris flows closed down major highways.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency as the holiday period was forecast to be a washout for the Golden State – with coastal areas expected to see several months’ worth of rain within just a few days.
Some parts of Los Angeles County had already seen more than 11 inches of rain as of Wednesday night, as more than 61,000 California residents were without power, according to PowerOutage.us.
But meteorologists warn this is just the beginning of a dangerous series of winter storms that are set to pummel the area, with the National Weather Service warning ‘life-threatening’ conditions could persist through Christmas Day.
‘Lives and property are in great danger,’ the US Weather Prediction Center said in a forecast early Wednesday. ‘Severe, widespread flash flooding is expected.’
That warning came as the National Weather Service took the rare step of issuing a ‘high risk’ alert for excessive rainfall in Los Angeles and areas to the north.
Bass has since issued a local emergency in the city of angels, citing ‘high intensity rainfall on saturated soils’ from the wildfires that tore through Southern California last year.
By issuing the declaration, Bass said she was ensuring that local departments had adequate resources to respond to the brutal effects of the storm.
Thousands of California residents found themselves under evacuation orders on Christmas Eve, as disastrous floods and debris flows closed down roads. A man is pictured here hanging on to the railing for dear life after stepping into the path of a rushing culvert on Wednesday
The holiday period is forecast to be a washout for the Golden State this year, with coastal areas expected to see several months’ worth of rain within just a few days
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has issued a local emergency in the city of angels, citing ‘high intensity rainfall on saturated soils’ from the wildfires that tore through Southern California last year
‘Throughout the duration of this holiday storm, firefighters, police officers, public works crews, traffic engineers, recreation and park staff and the entire city family have worked to address impacts to keep Angelenos safe – from swift water rescues to removing downed trees and coordinating safe evacuations,’ the mayor said.
‘We are making every resource and tool available to help facilitate this continued response effort.’
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors also declared their own local emergency.
‘This action ensures the county can quickly coordinate resources, protect residents and accelerate recovery efforts,’ Supervisor Hilda Solis said in a statement.
Those declarations came on the heels of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s proclamation of a state of emergency in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Shasta counties as the winds and rain intensified.
By Wednesday night, flash flood warnings – which are issued when floods are imminent or already happening – were in effect for several cities in Los Angeles County, including San Fernando, Altadena and Santa Clarita, as well as parts of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties west of LA.
Mandatory evacuation orders were also in place for parts of Orange County that were burned in the Airport Fire in Fall 2024, as well as for an RV resort in Ventura County and places scarred by this year’s wildfires in Los Angeles County – including the wealthy Pacific Palisades conclave.
Jim McDonnell, the chief of Los Angeles Police, said Tuesday that officers had visited 126 properties within the Palisades burn zone to urge residents to evacuate.
‘Many of the people – probably most of the people – in the evacuation area have thanked us for the notification but [have] chosen not to leave,’ he said at the time.
‘I would ask you to seriously reconsider that.’
By Wednesday night, flash flood warnings – which are issued when floods are imminent or already happening – were in effect for several cities in Los Angeles County. A couple is pictured watching the high water level of the Los Angeles river on Wednesday
A man looks at a flooded intersection in the South Pasadena area of Los Angeles, as evacuation warnings forced many in burn areas to leave their homes
State of emergencies were declared in Los Angeles and Los Angeles County. Caution tape is seen in a flooded intersection in the South Pasadena area of LA
Despite the warnings, firefighters in Los Angeles were forced to rescue a man who had been trapped in a drainage tunnel by the Los Angeles River and save another woman who was swept nine miles down the San Jose Creek.
The unidentified woman was first spotted in the creek near 60 Freeway around 1.50pm, but when firefighters arrived at the scene just 17 minutes later, she was gone.
‘She went downstream for a while,’ Pauline McGee, a spokeswoman for the LA County Fire Department told the Los Angeles Times.
Firefighters then searched for the woman using firetrucks and a helicopter, before ultimately finding her miles away as the creek – which is just about two feet deep- was flowing at about eight to 10 miles per hour.
The woman was brought to a local hospital in the aftermath, McGee said, but her condition was unclear as of Wednesday evening.
And in San Bernardino County, fire crews went door-to-door in the ski resort town of of Wrightwood, rescuing people trapped in their cars and homes when mud and debris rushed Highway 2 – blocking off the mountain community.
Janice Quick, president of the Wrightwood Chamber of Commerce and a resident of the mountain town for 45 years, explained that a wildfire in 2024 left much of the terrain without tree coverage and ‘all this rain is bringing down a lot of debris and a lot of mud from the mountain area.’
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department had earlier issued an evacuation warning for Wrightwood, but elevated the advisory to a shelter-in-place order as flood conditions worsened.
A man is pictured cleaning out debris from a storm drain in East Hollywood
In San Bernardino County, fire crews rescued people trapped in their cars and homes
The ski resort town of Wrightwood in San Bernardino County was left flooded
Debris and mud were seen cascading down a road in Wrightwood in a video posted by county fire officials. Another video showed fast-moving water rushing through the front porch of several homes.
The storm stranded Dillan Brown with his wife and 14-month-old daughter at a rented cabin in Wrightwood with almost no food and only enough diapers for about another day. By the morning, roads leading off the mountain and to a grocery store were blocked by rocks and debris, Brown said.
‘I came across (a road) where there was a car sucked away by the water and realized we were trapped here,’ he said.
A resident learned of his situation and posted a call for help in a Facebook group, and in less than an hour, neighbors showed up with more than enough supplies to ride out 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.’
As flood conditions worsened in San Bernardino County, officials elevated an evacuation warning to a shelter-in-place
Stormy weather is now expected to last through Friday
Meanwhile, Sarah Bailey, who runs vacation rental cabins in the Wrightwood, told The New York Times she was fielding calls all morning from customers canceling their reservations because of the floods.
‘It’s an economic nightmare, because Christmas and New Year’s are the biggest two weeks for Wrightwood,’ a ski resort town, she said.
‘That’s where the majority of people in this town make their money.’
To the north, in Sacramento, the California Highway Patrol was also investigating a seemingly weather-related crash that took the life of Sacramento Sheriff Deputy James Caravallo.
The area was under wind and flood advisories, when authorities say Caravallo was traveling at an unsafe speed, lost control on a wet road and crashed into a power pole.
‘Our hearts are with Deputy Caravallo´s family, and we ask the public to keep Deputy Caravallo´s loved ones and our Sheriff´s Office family in their thoughts and prayers,’ the agency said, noting that Caravallo was with the sheriff’s office for 19 years.
In Sacramento, the California Highway Patrol was also investigating a seemingly weather-related crash that took the life of Sacramento Sheriff Deputy James Caravallo (pictured)
The storms began to move into the Southern California late Tuesday evening and were expected to intensify throughout Christmas Eve
By Friday, Southern California could see a total of 14 inches of rain
The storms began to move into the Southern California late Tuesday evening and were expected to intensify throughout Christmas Eve, while a ‘clipper’ weather system is due to submerge much of the West Coast and Midwest in rain and snow on Christmas Day.
Peak rainfall is now expected to reach as high as 1.5 inches per hour as the storm progresses, according to the National Weather Service, and by Friday a total of 14 inches of rain could soak the region.
Forecasters have also warned that heavy snow and gusts were expected to create ‘near white-out conditions’ in parts of the Sierra Nevada and make travel ‘nearly impossible’ through mountain passes.
There was also a ‘considerable’ avalanche risk around Lake Tahoe, according to the Sierra Avalanche Center, and a rare tornado warning was issued for a small portion of east-central Los Angeles County due to heavy thunderstorm activity over the community of Alhambra on Wednesday.
A winter storm warning will now remain in effect for the greater Tahoe region until Friday morning.
In the meantime, Newsom said he has deployed emergency resources and first responders to several coastal and Southern California counties, and the California National Guard was on standby.
