Many Southern California residents woke up to sunshine and a reprieve from the rain on Christmas morning, and a forecast of more heavy rain on the holiday later fizzled to showers.
The worst of the storm has passed, according to Chandler Price, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
“Today, it’s going to be pretty quiet,” Price said Christmas afternoon. “Coastal Orange County and the West San Bernardino Mountains could see some light showers.”
Showers and increased winds are expected across Orange County and the Inland Empire beginning early Friday morning. While most of the region will see calmer weather, the San Bernardino Mountains will continue to have a flood advisory with a total of an additional 2-2.5 inches in the area on Friday.
Evacuation warnings are in place for the communities of Wrightwood and Lytle Creek. “Since the soils are all wet, they’re going to hold less moisture than they usually can, which means it’s going to run off easier, which leads to our elevated flooding concerns,” Price said.
He urges those living in mountainous areas to stay off the roads in case of flooding, debris and potential snowfall.“Yesterday’s weather was significant,” he said. “While tomorrow will be more typical for this kind of weather event, infrastructure has been saturated, creating safety risks.”
The first wave of a dangerous atmospheric river storm dumped torrential rain on Southern California on Wednesday, with double-digit precipitation falling in some mountain areas, widespread debris flows and freeway flooding in urban areas. Cars got stuck on washed-out roads. Evacuation warnings and orders were in effect in vulnerable areas, including those near wildfire burn scars, across the region.
The San Bernardino Mountains got 10-12 inches of rain in 48 hours, meteorologists reported.
One of the areas hardest hit was Wrightwood. The entire community has been without power due to toppled lines, and some areas have lost water pressure because of a damaged fire hydrant.
As of Thursday morning, Southern California Edison was working to restore power, according to Eric Sherwin, spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
The area saw heavy rain and high winds on Wednesday, flooding roads, toppling power lines and water-logging vehicles. San Bernardino County firefighters said they rescued people trapped in cars when mud and debris rushed down a road leading into Wrightwood. On Thursday, residents remained under a shelter-in-place order.
Roads in Wrightwood were covered in rocks, debris and thick mud on Christmas morning. With power out, a local gas station and coffee shop running on generators were serving as hubs for residents and visitors.
“San Bernardino County Fire is devastated that many families are unable to be home together this Christmas due to the ongoing impacts of this incident,” the fire department said in a Dec. 24 post on X. “Our hearts are with everyone affected, and our crews remain committed to supporting the community during this difficult time.”
During a break in the storm, emergency responders were assessing storm damage in Wrightwood and elsewhere, checking on people who had sheltered in place and were preparing for the next wave of the storm.
Sherwin said that there are several homes and vehicles with varying degrees of damage and one minor injury. He said they have had no reports of anyone missing.
“Wrightwood is a mountain community,” Sherwin said. “These people are very hardy and used to inclement weather. So, the vast majority of residences are well prepared for an event like this.”
Jill Jenkins spent the holiday with her 13-year-old grandson, Hunter Lopiccolo.
“It’s a really crazy Christmas,” she said.
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 multiple roadways flooded, residents are advised to stay off roads to ensure access for emergency crews if needed. For those whose homes have been damaged or do not have an area to shelter in place, the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds are open to the community, including to both large and small animals. The Red Cross is staffing the shelter.
Residents can check the evacuation status of their neighborhoods at protect.genasys.com.
Mt. Baldy has also lost power and water in some areas of the mountain and several homes have seen flooding, said Graham Hendrickson, fire chief for the Mt. Baldy Fire Department.
And, while freeways and some other roads in Southern California were reopened late Wednesday, Mt. Baldy Road at Shin Road remained closed except to residents on Christmas morning because of slides, said California Highway Patrol Officer Sergio Garcia. Mud could be seen falling around trees and blocking the roadway.
There were two major debris flows on the road, Hendrickson said, and as of Thursday afternoon, one had been cleared and road crews were working on the other.
Fourteen visitors were stranded in Mt. Baldy overnight due to the road closure, according to Hendrickson. However, the Mt. Baldy firefighters have opened their homes to those stranded, allowing the visitors to spend the holidays with their families.
Additional closures in the San Bernardino Mountains on Thursday morning include Lytle Creek Road at Glen Helen Parkway and the full closure of all lanes on Highway 2 for 12 miles west of Highway 39.
Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency for LA, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties and elsewhere in anticipation of the storm’s impacts. The declaration allows state agencies to pre-deploy resources, including additional emergency responders and equipment.
Rainfall totals have almost doubled in some cases since the beginning of the storm. Here are some 48-hour rainfall totals as of Thursday morning, according to the NWS:
LA County:
San Gabriel mountains: 8-10 inches
The San Gabriel Valley: 3-4 inches
San Fernando Valley: 4-5 inches
Santa Monica mountains: 2-4 inches
La Cañada foothills: 3-4 inches
Orange County:
Dana Point: 1.06-1.33 inches
Huntington Beach: 1.39-1.56 inches
Laguna Beach: 0.96 inches
Santa Ana mountains: 1.73-3 inches
Inland Empire:
Riverside: 0.64-0.68 inches
Chino: 1.85-2.67 inches
Big Bear Lake: 3.12-4.67 inches
Cajon Pass: 8.51 inches
San Bernardino: 0.96-1.06 inches
San Bernardino mountains: 10.5-12.32 inches
This is a developing story. Please check back for more.
City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Strong, gusty Christmas week storm drenches Southern California with more rain on the way
Wrightwood residents urged to shelter in place as storm runoff inundates town, closes Highway 2
Caltrans works to reopen flooded 5 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley