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WRIGHTWOOD, Calif. — Southern California braced for a significant storm on Thursday, promising to deliver the region’s wettest Christmas in years. This system arrives just a day after severe weather, marked by heavy rain and strong winds, was linked to the tragic loss of two lives.
Weather experts cautioned that the incoming rains might exacerbate the threat of mudslides and debris flows in areas already saturated and scarred by wildfires earlier in the year. These burn scars lack the vegetation needed to effectively absorb rainfall, increasing flood risks.
Wednesday’s storm claimed the life of a San Diego man when a tree fell, according to local reports. Similarly, in Sacramento, a sheriff’s deputy lost their life in what is believed to be a weather-related traffic accident.
In Wrightwood, firefighters from San Bernardino County sprang into action to rescue individuals trapped in vehicles as mud and debris cascaded onto a road leading into this mountain resort town, located about 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The exact number of rescues remains unclear.
The approximately 5,000 residents of Wrightwood found their roads blanketed with rocks, debris, and thick mud on Thursday. Power outages forced a local gas station and coffee shop to rely on generators, becoming gathering spots for both locals and visitors. Across California, over 120,000 people were reported to be without electricity, as per PowerOutage.us.
“It’s really a crazy Christmas,” said Jill Jenkins, who was celebrating the holiday with her 13-year-old grandson, Hunter Lopiccolo.
Lopiccolo said the family almost evacuated the previous day, when water washed away a chunk of their backyard. But they eventually decided to stay and still celebrated the holiday. Lopiccolo got a new snowboard and e-bike.
“We just played card games all night with candles and flashlights,” he said.
Resident Arlene Corte said roads in town turned into rivers, but her house was not damaged.
“It could be a whole lot worse,” she said. “We’re here talking.”
With more rain on the way, more than 150 firefighters were stationed in the area, said San Bernardino County Fire spokesman Shawn Millerick.
“We’re ready,” he said. “It’s all hands on deck at this point.”
Heavy rain
Residents around burn scar zones from the Airport Fire in Orange County were under evacuation orders.
Areas along the coast, including Malibu, were under a flood watch until Friday afternoon, and wind and flood advisories were issued for much of the Sacramento Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area.
The storms were the result of multiple atmospheric rivers carrying massive plumes of moisture from the tropics during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.
Southern California typically gets half an inch to 1 inch (1.3 to 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) with even more in the mountains, National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Wofford said.
Snow at higher elevations
More heavy snow was expected in the Sierra Nevada, where wind gusts created “near white-out conditions” in places and made mountain pass travel treacherous. Officials said there was a “high” avalanche risk around Lake Tahoe, and a winter storm warning was in effect through Friday.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in six counties to allow state assistance in storm response.
The state deployed emergency resources and first responders to several coastal and Southern California counties, and the California National Guard was on standby.
The California Highway Patrol reported a seemingly weather-related crash south of Sacramento in which a Sacramento sheriff’s deputy died. James Caravallo, who was with the agency for 19 years, was apparently traveling at an unsafe speed, lost control on a wet road and crashed into a power pole, CHP Officer Michael Harper said via email.
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Associated Press writers Sophie Austin in Sacramento, Jessica Hill in Las Vegas and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed.
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