WRIGHTWOOD, Calif. – A Record storm system large areas changed California for Christmas, with torrential rains, strong winds and heavy snowfall This flooded major highways, forced airport runways to close, and triggered tornado and flash flood warnings. Although the phenomenon began to lose strength this Friday, authorities warned that risks remain, particularly on the coast, in areas near Los Angeles and in mountainous regions of the Sierra Nevada.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, waves could reach heights of up to 7.6 meterswhile in Southern California the danger remains Floods and mudslides. Meanwhile, warnings continued to be issued in the Lake Tahoe region possible avalanches. In Wrightwood, a mountain town about 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles, residents were told to stay put ready to evacuate due to unstable terrain.
The storm was driven by a atmospheric river series — large clouds of moisture from the ocean — that crossed California for more than a week, coinciding with one of the busiest tourist times of the year. According to the National Weather Service, the system exited the wettest holiday season in downtown Los Angeles in 54 yearsOn December 24, several daily rainfall records were broken in Los Angeles, Burbank and other locations.
In the early hours of Thursday, heavy rains flooded roads in the northern part of the state, caused landslides in wildfire-hit areas of Southern California and blanketed swathes of the Sierra Nevada with wet snow. In some mountain communities, residents spent the entire Christmas under the sun Evacuation orders.
After a brief lull with clear skies and some sunshine on Thursday afternoon, storms returned in the evening. Forecasts called for new rainfall totals of between 25 and nearly 40 millimeters in cities that had already broken rainfall records, with accumulations in mountainous areas potentially doubling. Up to another 38 millimeters was expected in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, while a flash flood warning remained in effect in the Oxnard area through the afternoon.
Wrightwood was the hardest hit area in the state. On Wednesday, a An avalanche of mud, rocks and debris collapsed into homes and buildingsand the streets were covered with thick mud. Many roads and bridges were destroyed and up to 1.5 meters of mud accumulated in some houses. Conditions remained so dangerous that the local power company warned that the power outage could last into the following week.
“We have a temperature of 6.7°C in the cabin and our only source of heat is the fireplace.”said Chris Reid, a 54-year-old contractor who lives in the city. He said he and his wife spent nights hugging their three dogs to keep warm.
On Christmas Eve, when water and debris flooded the streets, andEmergency teams evacuated people trapped in homes and vehiclesThey placed sandbags to contain the water and used them Helicopters for rescuing people and large animalslike horses, from the roofs of houses, said San Bernardino County Fire Chief Daniel R. Munsey.
As the rain eased on Christmas Day, authorities began assessing the damage. “You will no longer be able to live in these houses in the short term”Munsey warned. “The impact on the infrastructure of these communities is enormous.”
Arlene Corte, a Wrightwood neighbor, said the streets turned into rivers, although her home was not damaged. “It could have been much worse,” he concluded. “We’re talking here.”
The storm’s impact extended across the entire state. Portions of Interstate 5 in the San Fernando Valley were flooded Wednesday, although traffic was restored Thursday morning. In Santa Barbara, The airport reopened after an overnight closure due to more than 75 millimeters of rain – a daily record for December 24 – while flights to San Francisco were recorded Due to strong winds, there were average delays of two hours.
At least two deaths were attributed to the storms: A man died in San Diego after a tree fell, and further north, a Sacramento County sheriff’s deputy died in what appeared to be a weather-related traffic accident.
More than 72,000 users were still without power on Thursday afternoonmostly in Northern California and mountainous areas, although the number was down from the nearly 160,000 outages recorded on Christmas morning. Emergency services continued to work to restore service.
Much of the Los Angeles metropolitan area remained under water “Moderate” risk of excessive precipitation. Authorities warned that with the ground already saturated, even moderate rainfall could trigger new landslides and floods. “I urge all Angelenos to exercise caution if they must travel,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “Please don’t underestimate this storm.”.
Some evacuation orders remained in effect in parts of Los Angeles, while residents of areas affected by recent wildfires were warned of possible preventative evacuation. In total, Thousands of people spent Christmas Eve in emergency shelters following mandatory evacuations in parts of Orange, Ventura, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.
The Governor Gavin Newsom explained the State of emergency in six counties — including Riverside and Shasta — to expedite federal aid. Additional resources and first responder teams were deployed to coastal and southern areas of the state, while the California National Guard was placed on alert.
Despite the devastation, some families managed to salvage some of their Christmas celebrations. In the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, Linda Mendez restored power just before noon on Christmas Day, allowing her to plan a dinner with her mother, who will soon be 99 years old. “Let’s see what we have left for dinner after we purify the water from the fridge,” he wrote.
From his home, Mendez watched as neighbors who lost their homes during the January fires in Malibu charged their phones in their cars as they waited for power to come back on. “I really feel sorry for you,” he said. “They’re trying to do their best this Christmas and this is all happening.”
AP agency and The New York Times
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