los angeles — Rain from a powerful winter storm that battered Southern California was beginning to ease, but another storm was looming on the horizon on Christmas Day with showers and thunderstorms possible.
Meteorologists said Southern California could see the rainiest Christmas in years and warned of floods and mudslides. Previously burned areas Forest fires in January Evacuation warnings were in place as heavy rains and high winds caused mudslides and debris flows.
Many flood zones were located in burn scar areas, which have been stripped of vegetation by the fire and are less able to absorb water.
San Bernardino County firefighters said they rescued people trapped in cars Wednesday when mud and debris rushed down the road leading to Wrightwood, a resort town in the San Gabriel Mountains about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles. It was not immediately clear how many people were rescued.
Firefighters also went door to door checking homes, and the area was under a shelter-in-place order, officials said. An evacuation order was issued for the Little Creek area, also located in the San Gabriel Mountains.
Travis Gunter and his family were trapped in Little Creek after raging waters washed away the only bridge in or out of their neighborhood. More than a dozen neighbors took shelter at a community center or found hotel rooms.
“Everyone who left to go to work this morning is stuck,” he said. “Half the families are here, the other half are on the other side of the creek.”
Guenther said he had plenty of supplies and was coordinating with others in the community of about 280 people. Two nurses who live on his street offered to help anyone who might need medical attention.
A wildfire in 2024 left much of the terrain treeless, said Janice Quick, president of the Wrightwood Chamber of Commerce and a resident of the mountain town for 45 years.
Dylan Brown, his wife and 14-month-old daughter were also stranded in a rented cabin in Wrightwood with almost no food and enough diapers for nearly another day. Roads up the mountain and leading to a grocery store became blocked by rocks and debris, Brown said.
A resident learned of his situation and posted a plea for help in a Facebook group. In less than an hour, neighbors showed up 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 won’t be going home to our families,” Brown said, but “the kindness that has been shown is definitely overwhelming.”
Residents around burn-scarred areas caused by the airport fire in Orange County were also ordered to evacuate.
Areas along the coast, including Malibu, were under flood warnings as of Wednesday evening, and wind and flood warnings were issued for much of the Sacramento Valley and San Francisco Bay Area.
Several roads including a portion of Interstate 5 near the Burbank Airport were closed due to flooding.
Multiple storms were the result Atmospheric rivers Huge columns of moisture are brought in from the tropics during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.
Southern California typically receives 1/2 inch to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.5 cm) of rain this time of year, but this week many areas could see between 4 and 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) with more in the mountains, said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Heavy snow and storms created “near-whiteout conditions” in parts of the Sierra Nevada and made the mountain pass dangerous. Officials said there is a “significant” avalanche risk around Lake Tahoe, and a winter storm warning is in effect through Friday morning.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in six counties to allow state assistance in responding to the storms.
The state deployed emergency resources and first responders to several coastal counties and Southern California, and the California National Guard was on standby.
The California Highway Patrol reported an apparent weather-related crash south of Sacramento in which a Sacramento sheriff’s deputy died. James Caravalho, who had worked for the agency for 19 years, was apparently traveling at an unsafe speed, lost control on a wet road and struck a utility pole, CHP official Michael Harper said via email.
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Associated Press writers Sophie Austin in Sacramento, Jessica Hale in Las Vegas and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed.