New storm hitting waterlogged Southern California could cause more flooding and mudslides

WRIGHTWOOD, Calif. -- Another almighty tempest strategy that could soak Southern California with its wettest Christmas successful years rolled into the portion connected Thursday, perchance causing much flooding and mudslides a time aft dense rainfall and gusty winds were blamed for astatine slightest 2 deaths.

Forecasters warned the further rainfall could summation the hazard of debris flows successful waterlogged areas scorched by wildfires successful January. Those pain scar zones person been stripped of vegetation by occurrence and are little capable to sorb water.

On Wednesday, a falling histrion killed a San Diego man, section quality outlets reported. Farther north, a Sacramento sheriff's lawman died successful what appeared to beryllium a weather-related crash.

San Bernardino County firefighters said they rescued radical trapped successful cars erstwhile mud and debris rushed down a roadworthy starring into Wrightwood, a edifice municipality successful the San Gabriel Mountains astir 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles. It was not instantly wide however galore radical were rescued.

Roads successful the municipality of astir 5,000 radical were covered successful rocks, debris and heavy mud connected Thursday. With powerfulness out, a section state presumption and java store moving connected generators were serving arsenic hubs for residents and visitors. Statewide, much than 120,000 radical were without power, according to PowerOutage.us.

A car is buried successful mud aft a bid of storms Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, successful Wrightwood, Calif.

AP Photo/William Liang

"It's truly a brainsick Christmas," said Jill Jenkins, who was spending the vacation with her 13-year-old grandson, Hunter Lopiccolo.

Lopiccolo said the household astir evacuated the erstwhile day, erstwhile h2o washed distant a chunk of their backyard. But they yet decided to enactment and inactive celebrated the holiday. Lopiccolo got a caller snowboard and e-bike.

"We conscionable played paper games each nighttime with candles and flashlights," helium said.

Resident Arlene Corte said roads successful municipality turned into rivers, but her location was not damaged.

"It could beryllium a full batch worse," she said. "We're present talking."

With much rainfall connected the way, much than 150 firefighters were stationed successful the area, said San Bernardino County Fire spokesperson Shawn Millerick.

"We're ready," helium said. "It's each hands connected platform astatine this point."

Heavy rain
Residents astir pain scar zones from the Airport Fire successful Orange County were nether evacuation orders.

Areas on the coast, including Malibu, were nether a flood ticker until Friday afternoon, and upwind and flood advisories were issued for overmuch of the Sacramento Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area.

The storms were the effect of aggregate atmospheric rivers carrying monolithic plumes of moisture from the tropics during 1 of the busiest question weeks of the year.

Southern California typically gets fractional an inch to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.5 centimeters) of rainfall this clip of year, but this week galore areas could spot betwixt 4 and 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) with adjacent much successful the mountains, National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Wofford said.

Snow astatine higher elevations
More dense snowfall was expected successful the Sierra Nevada, wherever upwind gusts created "near white-out conditions" successful places and made upland walk question treacherous. Officials said determination was a "high" avalanche hazard astir Lake Tahoe, and a wintertime tempest informing was successful effect done Friday.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a authorities of exigency successful six counties to let authorities assistance successful tempest response.

The authorities deployed exigency resources and archetypal responders to respective coastal and Southern California counties, and the California National Guard was connected standby.

The California Highway Patrol reported a seemingly weather-related clang southbound of Sacramento successful which a Sacramento sheriff's lawman died. James Caravallo, who was with the bureau for 19 years, was seemingly traveling astatine an unsafe speed, mislaid power connected a bedewed roadworthy and crashed into a powerfulness pole, CHP Officer Michael Harper said via email.

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Associated Press writers Sophie Austin successful Sacramento, Jessica Hill successful Las Vegas and Hannah Schoenbaum successful Salt Lake City contributed.