A year ago, authorities warned that an extremely dry winter would combine with wind gusts of up to 160 mph in the coming days to spark the worst fires in Los Angeles history.
Southern California just went through that exact situation right now.
According to the National Weather Service office in Oxnard, this Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are the best in modern records in many parts of Southern California. Some mountain areas have seen nearly 18 inches of rain since Tuesday, and more rain fell on Friday, but it should clear up by the weekend.
This is also one of the wettest starts to the water year, which began on October 1st. By midday on Christmas Day, it’s already ranked among the top 10 wettest places in Southern California. This is the exact opposite of last year.
The rain provided the moisture needed to dry plants, helping keep the state out of drought conditions and further eliminating the risk of wildfires. It also speaks to a larger cycle.
Last year was extremely dry and hot. The summer and fall of 2024 were some of the hottest months on the Southern California coast since at least 1895. California experienced its hottest July on record in 2024.
All over the world, people are seeing dramatic changes in whiplash injuries from dry to wet weather or from wet to dry weather. Scientists say more episodes like this are expected to occur around the world due to human-induced global warming.
Santa Barbara Airport, which was forced to close twice on Christmas Day due to flooding Wednesday and noon Thursday, reopened Friday morning with 4.83 inches of rain, surpassing the 3.22 inches of rain it last recorded in 1955 on Dec. 24-25.
Woodland Hills received 4.62 inches of precipitation, breaking the record of 3.34 inches set in 1971. Oxnard, 4.26 inches, breaking the 1979 2-inch record. Van Nuys, 4.12 inches, breaking the record of 1.16 inches set in 2019. Burbank, 3.5 inches, breaking the 1971 record of 3.1 inches. Camarillo, 3.36 inches, breaking the 1979 2-inch record. UCLA measured 3.05 inches, breaking the record of 3.02 inches set in 1971.
So far, 2.59 inches have been recorded in downtown LA from Christmas Eve to noon on Christmas Day. This was at least the fourth wettest period on record between December 24 and 25. The record for December 24th and 25th was 3.82 inches in 1889.
The last time there was significant rainfall between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was in 1971, when 3.24 inches fell over two days.
Precipitation totals were much higher in the mountains. Over the three-day period ending at 6 a.m. Friday, more than 17 inches of rain fell in Ventura County’s Rose Valley, more than 14 inches in Santa Barbara County’s San Marcos Pass and more than 11 inches in Chilao South in the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County.
During the same period, Porter Ranch received more than 9 inches of rain. Newhall, over 8 inches. Canoga Park and Northridge, over 6 inches. Hansen Dam, Agoura Hills, La Cañada Flintridge, over 5 inches. Bel Air, Eagle Rock, Van Nuys, over 4 inches. Alhambra, Burbank, Beverly Hills, downtown Los Angeles and the Sierra Madre are over 3 inches.
Flood watches remained in place for much of California until at least Friday afternoon.
Dozens of homes remained under evacuation orders. Neighborhoods could be at risk from a partial release of water from Tujunga Dam by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, which is intended to prevent potential flooding in surrounding areas, city officials said. “This is a standard process that has been in place in the past,” the official said.
Evacuation warnings have been issued for recent burn scars in Los Angeles County, and evacuation orders have been issued for certain homes at high risk of landslides.
Showers slowly moved southeast over Orange County, the Inland Empire and San Diego County Friday with a slight chance of thunderstorms, according to the San Diego Weather Service.
As the storm moves through the region, 1 to 3 inches of snow could fall near 7,000 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains on Friday, and 8 to 12 inches above 8,000 feet.
Drier weather is expected across California early next week. However, moderate to strong Santa Ana winds are possible in Southern California early next week.
Precipitation could also return to Southern California late next week, around New Year’s Day. However, the San Diego office said it remains unclear how much rain and snow will fall.
The Christmas holiday storm caused significant damage across California, killing at least three people. A woman was knocked off a rock by a large wave at a Mendocino County beach. A man was hit by a falling tree in San Diego.
Two people were involved in a three-vehicle crash on the Grapevine section of Highway 5 around 3 p.m. Thursday. Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the crash.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Shasta counties, allowing the state to quickly mobilize state resources and authorizing Caltrans to seek state assistance to repair damaged roads.
Damage was reported across the state, with flooding, landslides and fallen trees reported in the Central Valley and San Francisco Bay Area. A tornado warning was issued on Wednesday and briefly for some counties on Thursday.
One of the hardest-hit areas was a town of several thousand people in the San Gabriel Mountains on the border of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. A Christmas Eve debris flow – a fast-moving stream of mud and rocks – slammed into homes and left cars buried in rubble.
The weather bureau said nearly 10 inches of rain was recorded in the area in 24 hours, causing damage to several buildings and numerous rapid-water rescues.
People in another community in the San Gabriel Mountains were trapped after a bridge connecting parts of the town was covered with water and may have been destroyed.
An evacuation advisory was issued.
A woman turned up after being seen washed away in San Jose Creek in the San Gabriel Valley (near Fullerton Road off Highway 60 in the City of Industry neighborhood). She was rescued near the intersection of the 605 and 60 Freeways, where a stream passes over Workman Mill Road near the unincorporated community of North Whittier.
The storm closed major highways for several hours, including Interstate 15 through Cajon Pass and Sun Valley.
Los Angeles firefighters sent teams to several river rescues, including a man and his dog and cat who were trapped in an RV by rising water on an island in the middle of a stream. The three people boarded the helicopter.
A woman in her 20s was found swept away by fast-moving water Friday morning at the Tujunga Washing Station near Branford Street in Pacoima. She traveled about 16 miles the length of the San Fernando Valley, entered the Los Angeles River, and was rescued near Universal City, where the waterway intersects with Lankershim Boulevard.
The woman was taken to a hospital and treated for minor injuries, including hypothermia, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
A 911 caller spotted a woman wearing all black late Friday morning in Pacoima Wash near 4th Avenue in San Fernando, LAFD said.
Rescue teams were using markers to try to find the woman, who was traveling at about 25 mph in 3 feet of water, a spokeswoman confirmed. Pacoima Wash is a 53-mile-long stream that carries water to Tujunga Wash and ultimately to the Los Angeles River.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said it responded to numerous people trapped due to flooding throughout the Antelope Valley.
Times staff writers Terry Castleman, Noah Goldberg, Amy Hubbard; sandra mcdonald contributed to this report.
