A winter storm is flooding California with torrential rain, mud and a white-out mess
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A powerful winter storm hit California on Wednesday, with heavy rain and strong winds leading to mudslide warnings in the south, bringing white snow conditions to the mountains and dangerous travel for millions of holidaymakers.
Forecasters say Southern California could see its wettest Christmas in years, warning of flash floods and mudslides. Areas ravaged by January’s wildfires were under evacuation warnings, and Los Angeles County officials said Tuesday they were going door-to-door in about 380 of the most vulnerable homes to tell residents to evacuate.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department also issued an evacuation warning Wednesday morning for the community of Wrightwood, a mountain town located in the San Gabriel Mountains about 130 kilometers northeast of Los Angeles, due to possible mud and debris flows from the storm.
Debris and mud could be seen running down the entrance to Wrightwood in a social media video posted by county fire officials. Crews were working to evacuate other homes, the post said. District officials did not immediately respond to questions about the eviction.
Coastal areas, including Malibu, were under flood warnings Wednesday, local officials said. Much of the Sacramento Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area were also under wind and flood advisories.
Early Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles Fire Department rescued a man who was trapped in a water tunnel in northwest LA that leads to the river. No injuries were reported, but the man is being evaluated.
Several roads in all districts are closed due to flooding.
Conditions can get worse as several atmospheric rivers move through the region during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. The storm in Los Angeles was expected to last until Wednesday afternoon before moving away this evening.
Altadena resident James Dangerfield, 84, said his family and neighbors helped put sandbags in his yard earlier this week. His neighborhood had been under a flood warning since Wednesday morning, but he wasn’t too worried.
He lives on a hill, so a lot of rainwater flows away from him, he said. For now, he and his wife, Stephanie, plan to stay home and spend Christmas Eve with their two grown daughters and grandchildren.
“We will just hang out and everyone will have to come to us, we will not go anywhere,” he said.
Mike Burdick, who cares for his elderly parents in Altadena, said he ran out to buy more sandbags Wednesday morning when he realized the lake was already overflowing. His parents live under the scars of the Eaton Fire, he said.
“I woke up and it started raining,” he said.
The family was willing to leave with a week’s worth of family belongings, including a dog and a cat. They plan to go to a nearby holiday party in the evening.
“We will just come back to our animals safely,” he said.
Southern California typically gets half an inch to an inch (1.3 to 2.5 centimeters) this time of year, but this week most areas could see between four and eight inches (10 to 20 centimeters), US National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Wofford said. It can be even higher in the mountains.
Much of California is under severe weather warnings
Forecasters also warned that heavy snow and storms are expected to create “near whiteout conditions” in parts of the Sierra Nevada and make it “almost impossible” to travel in cross-mountain areas. As of Wednesday morning, there was also a “significant” avalanche danger near Lake Tahoe, according to the Sierra Avalanche Center.
The National Weather Service said a winter storm warning will be in effect for the Greater Tahoe Region until Friday morning.
In Monterey on the central coast, gusts of up to 60 mph (97 km/h) were reported. More than 5,000 people lost power Tuesday night due to a damaged utility pole, according to Pacific Gas and Electric Co.
The California Highway Patrol is also investigating a fatal crash that appears to be weather-related Wednesday morning south of Sacramento. The driver reportedly traveled at an unsafe speed, lost control of their vehicle on wet roads and crashed into a utility pole, CHP Officer Michael Harper said in an email.
San Francisco and Los Angeles airports reported minor flight delays Wednesday morning.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday also declared a state of emergency in six states to allow federal aid to fight the storm.
Atmospheric currents transport moisture from tropical areas to northern areas in long, narrow bands of water vapor that form over the ocean and flow into the sky.
The storm has wreaked havoc in Northern California, where flooding has led to water rescues and at least one death, authorities said.
The state has released emergency services and first responders to several coastal and Southern California counties, while the California National Guard remains on standby.
