SAEDNEWS: Torrential rains unleashed widespread flash flooding and mud flows across Southern California on Wednesday, as authorities warned motorists to stay off roads while urging residents in flood zones to evacuate or shelter in place.
In the rain-soaked mountain resort of Wrightwood, east of Los Angeles, emergency crews spent much of Wednesday responding to dozens of rescue calls and pulling drivers to safety from submerged vehicles, according to San Bernardino County Fire Department spokesperson Christopher Prater, as reported by Reuters.
No casualties had been reported by Wednesday night, Prater said.
Aerial footage shared by the fire department showed rivers of mud coursing through inundated cabin neighborhoods.
Some areas received more than an inch (2.54 cm) of rain per hour as the region was hit by a powerful atmospheric river—a vast current of moisture drawn from the Pacific and swept inland over greater Los Angeles.
The Christmas Eve storm was expected to continue into Friday, creating dangerous driving conditions during what is typically a busy holiday travel period, according to the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS).
“Life-threatening” conditions were forecast to persist through Christmas Day across Southern California, where widespread flash flooding was underway.
A flash-flood warning was issued for much of Los Angeles County until 6 p.m. PST, with authorities urging motorists: “Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area, subject to flooding, or under an evacuation order.”
Los Angeles city officials advised residents to follow evacuation orders for roughly 130 homes considered highly vulnerable to mudslides and debris flows, especially in areas of Pacific Palisades affected by last year’s wildfires.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department initially issued an evacuation warning for Wrightwood but later upgraded it to a shelter-in-place order as flood conditions worsened. The Angeles Crest Highway, a major route through the San Gabriel Mountains, was closed in two sections due to flooding.
Wednesday’s heavy rainfall came with strong, gusty winds that officials said were knocking down trees and power lines. In higher elevations of the Sierra Mountains, the storm was expected to bring heavy snow.
NWS meteorologist Ariel Cohen reported 4 to 8 inches of rain had fallen in some foothill areas by 9 a.m. PST, while the Los Angeles City News Service noted multiple rockslides in the mountains. Some forecasts predicted more than a foot (30.48 cm) of rain in lower-terrain mountain areas by the end of the week.
Forecasters even issued a rare tornado warning for a small portion of east-central Los Angeles County due to intense thunderstorm activity in the Alhambra community.
By Wednesday night, rainfall in the region had eased, but a second wave of the storm was expected to arrive Thursday, forecasters said.
