Heavy rains trigger flash flooding across Southern California
Torrential rains battered Southern California, triggering widespread flash flooding and mud flows and prompting evacuation warnings, road closures, and dozens of emergency rescues as authorities urged residents to stay off the roads.
In the mountain resort town of Wrightwood, east of Los Angeles, emergency crews spent much of Wednesday rescuing motorists trapped in high water and pulling people from submerged vehicles, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department. Officials said no casualties had been reported as of Wednesday night, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Aerial footage released by authorities showed rivers of mud sweeping through flooded cabin neighborhoods, underscoring the severity of the storm.
The deluge was driven by a powerful atmospheric river, a dense stream of Pacific moisture that dumped rainfall at rates of one inch or more per hour in some areas. The U.S. National Weather Service warned that life-threatening conditions could persist through Christmas Day, creating hazardous travel conditions during the busy holiday period.
Flash-flood warnings were issued across much of Los Angeles County, with officials urging motorists not to travel unless evacuating. City authorities ordered evacuations for around 130 homes considered at high risk of mudslides and debris flows, particularly in areas affected by last year’s wildfires in Pacific Palisades.
In San Bernardino County, officials initially issued an evacuation warning for Wrightwood before upgrading it to a shelter-in-place order as conditions deteriorated. Portions of the Angeles Crest Highway, a major mountain route, were closed due to flooding.
The storm also brought strong, gusty winds, downing trees and power lines, while higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada were expected to receive heavy snowfall. Meteorologists reported 4 to 8 inches of rain in some foothill areas by mid-morning, with forecasts calling for more than a foot of rain in parts of the region by the end of the week.
Forecasters even issued a rare tornado warning for a small area of east-central Los Angeles County amid intense thunderstorm activity.
Although rainfall eased Wednesday night, officials warned that another wave of the storm system is expected to hit the region, raising concerns about renewed flooding and mudslides.
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