Southern California drivers urged to reconsider Christmas travel amid storm

LOS ANGELES– A powerful winter storm swept across California on Wednesday, with heavy rain and gusty winds causing mudslides and debris flows that led to water rescues and evacuation orders.

Forecasters said Southern California could experience its wettest Christmas in years and warned of flash floods and mudslides. Areas burned by January’s wildfires were under evacuation warnings, and Los Angeles County officials said the day before they had issued about 380 evacuation orders to particularly vulnerable homes.

San Bernardino County firefighters said they rescued people stuck in their cars when mud and debris rushed onto a road leading to Wrightwood, a resort town in the San Gabriel Mountains about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles. It is not yet known how many people were rescued.

Firefighters also went door to door to check on residents, and the area was sheltered in place, officials said. Lytle Creek, also in the San Gabriel Mountains, was under evacuation orders in the afternoon as rains continued to pound the area.

Debris and mud were seen cascading down a Wrightwood road in a video released by county firefighters. Another video showed fast-moving water coming through the porches of several homes.

The storm stranded Dillan Brown with his wife and 14-month-old daughter in a rented cabin in Wrightwood with almost no food and just enough diapers for about another day. By morning, roads leading to 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 being sucked in by water and I realized we were stuck here,” he said.

A resident became aware of his situation and posted a cry for help on a Facebook group. Within an hour, neighbors arrived with enough supplies to weather the storm, including bread, vegetables, milk, diapers and wipes.

“I think we’re a little sad and upset that we can’t be home with our families,” Brown said, but “the kindness shown is definitely an overwhelming feeling.”

Janice Quick, president of the Wrightwood Chamber of Commerce and a 45-year resident of the mountain town, said a wildfire in 2024 left much of the land without tree cover and “all that rain brings a lot of debris and a lot of mud from the mountain area.”

Residents around burn areas from the Orange County Airport fire were also ordered to evacuate.

Areas along the coast, including Malibu, were under flood warnings through the evening, and much of the Sacramento Valley and San Francisco Bay area were also under wind and flood advisories.

Several roads, including part of Interstate 5 near the Burbank Airport, were closed due to flooding.

Conditions could worsen due to multiple atmospheric rivers during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.

The rain began to ease in the evening in Los Angeles, but another storm system was on the horizon with showers and possible thunderstorms on Christmas Day.

James Dangerfield, an 84-year-old Altadena resident, said his family and neighbor helped place sandbags in his yard earlier this week. A flash flood warning was issued for the neighborhood, but he wasn’t too worried because his house is located on a hill.

He and his wife, Stephanie, planned to stay there and spend Christmas Eve with their two adult daughters and grandchildren.

“We’re just going to stay put and everyone will have to come to us,” Dangerfield said. “We’re not going anywhere.”

Mike Burdick, who cares for his parents in Altadena, near the scars of the Eaton fire, ran out to buy more sandbags in the morning when he saw the pool was overflowing.

“I literally woke up to a downpour,” he said.

The family was ready to evacuate with a week’s worth of basic necessities, especially for their dog and cat.

Southern California typically gets between 1.3 and 2.5 centimeters of rain this time of year, but this week many areas could see between 4 and 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) and even more in the mountains, said National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Wofford.

Forecasters said heavy snow and gusts were expected to create “near whiteout 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.

The National Weather Service said a winter storm warning would be in effect for the greater Tahoe area through Friday morning.

Power was cut to more than 125,000 people due to a damaged utility pole, according to utility Pacific Gas and Electric Co..

The California Highway Patrol was investigating an apparent weather-related crash south of Sacramento in which Sacramento Sheriff’s Deputy James Caravallo died. Caravallo was apparently driving at an unsafe speed, lost control on a wet road and crashed into a utility pole, CHP Officer Michael Harper said via email.

Caravallo worked at the sheriff’s office for 19 years, the agency said in a social media post.

“Our hearts go out to 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,” it read.

A flash flood warning was issued for parts of Sacramento in the evening as more severe weather developed offshore and began to move inland.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in six counties to allow state aid in response to the storm.

The state deployed emergency resources and first responders to several coastal and Southern California counties, and the California National Guard was on standby.

Atmospheric rivers carry moisture from the tropics to northern latitudes in long, narrow bands of water vapor that form over an ocean.

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Associated Press writers Sophie Austin in Sacramento and Jessica Hill in Las Vegas contributed.