The Christmas rain storm expected to washout California over the next few days is already rearing it’s ugly head — as a debris flow ripped through the mountain town of Wrightwood in San Bernardino County early Wednesday.
The atmospheric river turned the area into a danger zone overnight, forcing evacuations and shutting down Highway 2, a dramatic snapshot of a Christmas-week storm now battering California from peaks to pavement.
Fire officials later confirmed the highway was impassable as commanders rushed in extra engines, hand crews, a bulldozer and swift-water rescue units to protect homes directly in the storm’s path.
Crews rushed to evacuate residents in the path of the fast-moving mud and floodwater, urging the public to stay far away from the area as conditions deteriorated by the hour.
The chaos in Wrightwood is just one flashpoint in a statewide storm pounding California during the Christmas holiday, unleashing flooding rain, violent winds and dangerous travel conditions from Southern California to the Bay Area and the Sierra Nevada.
In Los Angeles, officials issued a Flash Flood Warning for most of the city, warning that flooding, debris flows and mudslides were either imminent or already underway. Streets flooded, trees toppled and power lines came down as emergency crews scrambled across the city.
By mid-morning, LAPD had responded to 52 traffic accidents, while LAFD teams were deployed to river rescue incidents as stormwater surged through channels and basins. The Sepulveda Basin and Topanga Canyon Boulevard were closed, and city crews reported dozens of downed trees.
Power outages spread quickly. About 17,500 customers lost electricity, with crews responding to 32 downed power lines and restoring 21 disabled traffic signals as wind and rain battered infrastructure.
Burn-scar communities remain at highest risk. Evacuation warnings remain in effect through Christmas night for areas near the Palisades, Sunset and Hurst fire zones, where soaked soil and loose debris can turn rainfall into sudden, destructive mudflows. Police went door-to-door issuing evacuation orders and leaving written notices at homes where residents didn’t answer.
City facilities shut down as a precaution. Multiple recreation centers in Pacific Palisades closed through Christmas Day, and the L.A. Zoo shuttered Wednesday, citing hazardous conditions.
Officials say emergency resources were surged ahead of the storm, including swift-water rescue teams, helicopters, urban search-and-rescue units and wildfire mitigation crews still operating under emergency orders from earlier fires.
The storm’s reach stretches far beyond Southern California.
In Northern California, heavy rain and fierce winds flooded streets, knocked out power and forced water rescues in parts of the Bay Area and inland counties. Rivers and creeks are rising rapidly, with flood risks expected to remain elevated as additional waves of rain move through the region.
In the Sierra Nevada, the system is dumping snow at higher elevations while rain lashes lower slopes — creating dangerous travel conditions, chain controls, sudden road closures and increased avalanche and rockslide risks.
Forecasters warn California is locked into a multi-day storm pattern, with the heaviest rainfall expected through Christmas Day and more systems lining up behind it — keeping hillsides unstable and flood danger high.
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