Days of unrelenting rain in Southern California has triggered evacuations, mudslides and mass power outages across much of the region this week. It’s also broken records.
At Los Angeles International Airport, meteorologists recorded 1.88 inches of rain on Christmas Day, smashing the previous daily rainfall record of 1.60 inches set in 1971, according to the National Weather Service.
In Burbank, rainfall measured on Dec. 25 surpassed a decades-old record by more than an inch. Forecasters measured 4.52 inches of rain at Santa Barbara Airport, beating the previous Christmas Day record of 2.17 inches set in 1955. New daily rainfall records were also set in Lancaster, Palmdale, Camarillo and Oxnard, according to the National Weather Service.
Strong atmospheric river brings floods, snow, high winds to California
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Across Southern California, the rain turned roads into rivers, forcing officials to shut down major arteries during one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Rescue crews pulled people from cars trapped in floodwaters and mudslides. Meanwhile, winds over 50 mph overturned powerlines and uprooted trees, causing tens of thousands of people to lose power.
The storms have been blamed for at least four deaths, including a fatal single-vehicle crash involving a Sacramento sheriff’s deputy. A man in San Diego reportedly died after a tree branch fell on him and he went into cardiac arrest, according to NBC News.
The rain was fueled by an atmospheric river that spawned several potent storms this week. The wet weather is expected to dissipate over the weekend.
Flood advisories abound across Southern CaliforniaSevere rain map highlights flood threat in California
Contributing: Doyle Rice and Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: California weather updates: Flooding, record-breaking rain swamp state