Heavy rainstorms pounded California through Christmas week, killing three people and leaving nearly 100,000 residents without electricity as of Thursday evening. The storms brought up to 11 inches of rainfall to parts of Los Angeles County and triggered widespread flooding and mudslides across the state.
Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday for Los Angeles and other southern California counties as emergency responders worked to rescue people trapped in rising floodwaters.
A 64-year-old man from San Diego died Wednesday morning when a tree fell on him, according to the local police department. The San Diego Police Department confirmed the death to US media outlets.
In Redding, California, a 74-year-old person died over the weekend as police attempted a rescue from a vehicle surrounded by floodwaters. The town’s mayor confirmed the death to local news stations.
On Monday, a woman in her 70s lost her life at MacKerricher State Park in Mendocino County. The sheriff’s office stated she “was knocked off a rock by a large wave and swept into the ocean.”
Emergency Rescues Underway
Emergency teams performed multiple rescues throughout the affected areas, pulling people from vehicles as water levels rose rapidly. Christopher Prater, spokesperson for the San Bernardino County fire department, described ongoing rescue operations in the mountain town of Wrightwood.
“Fire department personnel were out there rescuing people, assisting them from their houses, getting them to safety, also while affecting rescues from people that were stranded in their vehicles,” Prater said Thursday. He noted rescue work continued through the night.
Authorities issued evacuation warnings for residents in parts of San Bernardino County in southern California. Flash flood warnings covered the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday morning. Los Angeles County officials received over 100 reports of flooded roads.
Wind speeds reached dangerous levels across the Bay Area, with one observatory near San Jose recording gusts topping 100 mph, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Major roads shut down across the region.
Atmospheric Rivers Drive Extreme Weather
The storms resulted from multiple atmospheric rivers, including one known as “the Pineapple Express,” which carries moisture from Hawaii to the US West Coast. These systems dumped what forecasters described as months’ worth of rain over just a few days.
The US Weather Prediction Center warned Thursday that “numerous flash flooding events are possible.” The agency added that “many streams may flood, potentially affecting larger rivers.”
The National Weather Service forecast rain would continue through Friday, with some areas expecting wind gusts up to 55 miles per hour during breaks in precipitation.
Mudslides struck Altadena near Los Angeles in areas affected by wildfires earlier in 2025. Burn scar zones, stripped of vegetation by fires, cannot absorb water effectively and face special risks. Coastal areas including Pacific Palisades and Malibu, both recovering from devastating January wildfires, remained under heightened alert.
Los Angeles County officials posted a warning Thursday on social media: “We’re not out of it yet. Rain continues to fall across LA County making roadways, waterways and flood channels extremely dangerous. Check conditions before venturing out today.”
Officials Urge Caution During Holiday Travel
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency and issued strong warnings to residents during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.
“I am urging all Angelenos to stay safe and be extremely careful on the roads if you absolutely must travel,” Bass said in a Wednesday statement. “Please do not take this storm lightly.”
The San Francisco Bay Area faced a developing dangerous storm early Thursday morning, prompting emergency flash flood alerts. The National Weather Service office in San Francisco warned at noon Thursday that a severe thunderstorm near Santa Cruz could spawn a tornado.
Forecasters predicted a winter storm could bring heavy snowfall to the Sierra Nevada Mountains along California’s eastern border. Nearly 71,000 families in northern areas lost power, with most outages concentrated in the north, according to the Seattle Times.
State authorities maintained emergency declarations across multiple counties as storms continued to affect California through the end of the week.
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