Los Angeles: Southern California woke up to chaos on Christmas Eve as heavy rains turned streets into rivers and mountainsides into mudslides. Authorities scrambled to rescue stranded drivers and urged residents to stay off the roads or evacuate from flood-prone areas.
In Wrightwood, a mountain town east of Los Angeles, emergency crews spent the day pulling drivers from submerged vehicles, according to San Bernardino County Fire Department spokesperson Christopher Prater. Some areas saw rainfall exceeding an inch per hour, fueled by a massive atmospheric river carrying Pacific moisture inland.
The storm is expected to continue into Friday, creating dangerous travel conditions during what is normally a busy holiday period. The US National Weather Service described the situation as life-threatening, with widespread flash flooding reported across the region.
Los Angeles County issued a flash-flood warning until 6 p.m. PST, urging motorists not to travel unless evacuating or in immediate danger. About 130 homes in Pacific Palisades, damaged in last year’s wildfires, were under evacuation orders due to the risk of mudslides and debris flows.
The latest Key Messages regarding an impactful Post-Christmas Winter Storm over the Great Lakes and Northeast. pic.twitter.com/gni6Yk4zG0
— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) December 25, 2025
In San Bernardino County, an evacuation advisory for Wrightwood was upgraded to a shelter-in-place order as conditions worsened. Flooding also forced the closure of two stretches of the Angeles Crest Highway, a major route through the San Gabriel Mountains.
The storm brought strong, gusty winds that knocked down trees and power lines. Higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada were expected to see heavy snow. Some foothill areas had already received 4 to 8 inches of rain, with multiple rockslides reported. Certain lower-elevation mountain zones could see more than a foot of rain by the end of the week.
Adding to the extreme weather, forecasters issued a rare tornado warning for east-central Los Angeles County due to thunderstorms over Alhambra.
