Tragedy in California: 3 Dead After Christmas Night Storms
Heavy rain and flooding from atmospheric rivers kill three in California, triggering mudslides, rescues, and emergency warnings during Christmas travel.
Heavy rains and storms across large parts of California caused flooding and mudslides, killing three people by Christmas night, according to local authorities.
The storm – which was expected to continue through Friday – dumped up to 11 inches (27 cm) of rain in parts of Los Angeles County, forcing evacuations and closing major roads.
Emergency crews had to rescue numerous people, including those trapped in vehicles submerged in floodwaters. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday for Los Angeles and other counties in Southern California.
By Thursday evening, nearly 100,000 people in the state were without power.
The US Weather Prediction Center said on Thursday that "flash flooding is likely in many areas."
"In addition, several rivers are expected to flood, including some major rivers."
A 64-year-old man in San Diego, California, died Wednesday morning when a tree fell on him, the police department told US media.
Another man, 74, died over the weekend after being swept away by floodwaters while police were trying to rescue him from inside a vehicle in Redding, California, the city's mayor told local news outlets.
And on Monday, a 70-year-old woman died at MacKerricher State Park in Mendocino County, California, when she was "knocked off a cliff by a large wave and swept out to sea," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Evacuation warnings were issued for some residents of San Bernardino County in Southern California, and a flash flood warning was issued Thursday morning for those in the San Francisco Bay Area. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that wind speeds in the Bay Area topped 100 miles per hour (161 km/h) at an observatory near San Jose.
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Los Angeles, residents faced mudslides and flooding in a burn scar area, where the ground was less able to absorb water due to a wildfire that swept through the neighborhood in January.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also declared a state of emergency due to the storm and warned residents to be cautious on the roads during the busy holiday travel period.
"I urge all Angelenos to stay safe and to be extremely cautious on the roads only if absolutely necessary," she said in a statement Wednesday. "Please do not take this storm lightly."
The storms were fueled by several atmospheric rivers, which brought massive plumes of moisture from the tropics during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.
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