Southern California cleans up after the wettest Christmas season in recent history | California

Southern Californians are facing an epic cleanup operation after the region’s wettest Christmas holiday in recent history turned parts of the state into a panorama of mud and debris.

A year ago, record wildfires devastated the arid neighborhoods of Altadena and Pacific Palisades. But now the tables have turned, with an atmospheric river off the Pacific bringing such elemental contrasts as wind and rain, in what scientists call the “hydroclimate effect.”

Southern California recorded its wettest Christmas Eve and Christmas Day ever; Santa Barbara airport received 5.91 inches of rain. More than 17 inches fell on a single area of ​​the Ventura County mountains.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were the wettest days for many parts of Southern California; More than 10 inches of rain fell on parts of the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County.

Stormy weather downed trees, caused hundreds of car crashes and knocked out power to thousands across the state. Hundreds of people saw their homes and gardens exposed to mudflows.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a temporary state of emergency. Firefighters in Los Angeles County rescued more than 100 people on Thursday alone, and a helicopter pulled 21 people from stranded cars. California governor Gavin Newsom declared an emergency in Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Shasta counties.

The National Weather Service warned that although the heaviest rains have passed, the risk of flash floods and landslides still exists.

“We’re still not fully recovered, but for the most part the worst is behind us,” said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Los Angeles. Forecasters are predicting a dry weekend before more rain falls around New Year’s Eve.

Sherry Tocco Told to the Los Angeles Times He described how the mountain town of Wrightwood, 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles, was hit by rain that turned roads into rivers and buried cars under rocks, debris and mud.

The river, he said, was raging before it “came again and destroyed, taking everything with it.” Tocco said he helped firefighters evacuate and slept in his car.

However, the rain that fell as rain in the low areas fell as snow in the high areas. 2 inches of snow per hour falls in the Sierra Nevada mountains.