A strong Christmas Eve storm marked by dangerously strong wind gusts drenched Southern California on Wednesday, leading to street flooding, evacuation warnings and the looming possibilities of mudslides and dangerous debris flows in areas scarred by recent wildfires. Traffic at the start of a busy holiday travel period was treacherous at best across the region, with more wet weather in the forecast.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department also issued an evacuation warning for the community of Wrightwood due to potential mud and debris flows from the storm, and were working to rescue some residents. Debris and mud were seen rushing down the road leading into Wrightwood in a social media video posted by county fire officials.
The storm landed first over Los Angeles County early Wednesday and was expected to push more strongly into Orange County and the Inland Empire as the day progresses, according to meteorologists with the National Weather Service.
LA County is under a flood advisory until Wednesday, Dec. 24 at 4 p.m., a flash flood warning until Wednesday, Dec. 24 at 6 p.m., a wind advisory until Thursday, Dec. 25 at 3 p.m., and a flood watch until Friday, Dec. 26 at 4 p.m.
Powerful wind gusts reached 40 to 70 mph in the Santa Monica and San Gabriel mountains, according to the NWS, with one wind gust in the western San Gabriel mountains reaching 98 miles per hour. LA’s coastal and valley areas experienced 20 to 40 mph wind gusts.
“We had those real strong and powerful winds and so some areas had issues with tree limbs down, trees down, power outages, that sort of thing across the area. So not only the rain, but the wind kind of exacerbated the whole situation,” said NWS meteorologist Joe Sirard.
Forecasters issued a tornado warning for the Alhambra area, which was quickly canceled, but officials warned that powerful winds are still likely. A “severe thunderstorm warning” remained in effect.
Rainfall totals were matching weather forecasters’ expectations so far. Here’s how much rain the Southland had received a day into the storm, according to the NWS:
LA County
- San Gabriel mountains: 5-7 inches
- The San Gabriel Valley: 1.5-2 inches
- San Fernando Valley: 3-4 inches
- Santa Monica mountains: 2-4 inches
- La Cañada foothills: 2-3 inches
Orange County:
- Dana Point: .10 of an inch
- Huntington Beach: .5 of an inch
- Laguna Beach: .14 of an inch
- Santa Ana mountains: .25 of an inch
Inland Empire:
- Riverside: .10-.20 of an inch
- Chino: .16 of an inch
- Big Bear Lake: .31 of an inch
- Cajon Pass: .69 of an inch
- San Bernardino: .25-.5 an inch
- San Bernardino mountains: .25-.5 an inch
Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency for LA, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Shasta counties in anticipation of the storm’s potential impacts. This declaration allows state agencies to pre-deploy emergency response resources like additional fire personnel and fire engines.
The Los Angeles Fire Department rescued a man who had gotten trapped in a drainage tunnel near the Corbin Street bridge in Winnetka. The tunnel leads to the Los Angeles River, but the man was trapped by a screen. Firefighters lowered a ladder into an opening, and the man climbed out. He was not injured, the Fire Department said.
In Orange County, a downed tree in Laguna Beach led to the closure of Coast Highway between Legion Street and Cleo Street for at least an hour, according to a Laguna Beach Police Department social media post.
San Bernardino County Fire spokesman Chris Prater said that in addition to those in Wrightwood, the department made swift water rescues in Victorville, Hesperia, Apple Valley and Adelanto. He did not know the exact circumstances of each.
A stretch of the 5 freeway also was closed in the San Fernando Valley on the southbound side between Sheldon Street/Lauren Canyon Boulevard to Lankershim Boulevard until further notice, according to CalTrans. The northbound side of the 5 freeway was shut between Tuxford Street and Lankershim Boulevard.
At one point on Wednesday, Highway 138 was closed between the 15 Freeway in the Cajon Pass and Beekley Road to the west, Caltrans said. Northbound traffic on the 15 was being required to exit at the 138 and re-enter the freeway because of mud on the 15 at the 138 overpass.
Heavy rain was expected to affect the Yucaipa-Oak Glen area, said Chloe Castillo, a spokeswoman for the Cal Fire San Bernardino Unit. The creek that runs past the Oak Glen Steakhouse tends to overflow during heavy rain.
Shane Reichardt, a spokesman for the Riverside County Emergency Management Department, said officials were watching the Airport Fire burn scar off Ortega Highway.
He said the expected rainfall rate of seven-tenths of an inch per hour had not reached the threshold of eight-tenths that would trigger warnings to be sent out. That area has held up well during heavy rain, Reichardt said. Officials did send out alerts to wireless phones in the areas where people live in rivers, urging them to move to higher ground.
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A Los Angeles Public Works skip-loader operator clears Loma Alta Drive in Altadena of debris along the Eaton fire’s burn scar area on Wednesday, Dec. 24. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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A Los Angeles Public Works skip-loader operator clears Loma Alta Drive in Altadena of debris along the Eaton fire’s burn scar area on Wednesday, Dec. 24. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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Conditions could worsen as multiple atmospheric rivers move across California on one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.
Reporter Brian Rokos and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
