New storm hitting waterlogged Southern California could bring mudslides
and high surf
[December 26, 2025]
By TY ONEIL
WRIGHTWOOD, Calif. (AP) — California, soaked from days of relentless
rain and recovering from mudslides in mountain towns, was hit with
another powerful storm Christmas Day that led to evacuation warnings and
high surf advisories.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in Southern California
issued an evacuation warning for Wrightwood, a mountain town about 80
miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, a day after rescuing
people trapped in cars during a mud slide.
The National Weather Service said waves near the San Francisco Bay Area
could reach up to 25 feet (7.6 meters) Friday.
Statewide, more than 70,000 people were without power Thursday
afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us.
A day ago, heavy rain and fierce winds were blamed for at least two
deaths.
A major storm system moving toward the Midwest and Northeast was
expected to interfere with travel, according to the National Weather
Service.
A mix of freezing rain and sleet could create icy conditions in
Pennsylvania, Michigan and Maryland. Forecasters warned heavy ice could
cause outages. Snow was expected to blanket the Northeast early Friday.
Roads in the 5,000-resident California town of Wrightwood were covered
in rocks, debris and thick mud on Thursday. With power out, a gas
station and coffee shop running on generators were serving as hubs for
residents and visitors.
“It’s really a crazy Christmas,” said Jill Jenkins, who was spending the
holiday with her 13-year-old grandson, Hunter Lopiccolo.
Lopiccolo said the family almost evacuated the previous day, when water
washed away a chunk of their backyard. But they decided to stay and
still celebrated the holiday. Lopiccolo got a new snowboard and e-bike.
“We just played card games all night with candles and flashlights,” he
said.
Davey Schneider hiked a mile and a half (1.6 kilometers) through rain
and floodwater up to his shins from his Wrightwood residence Wednesday
to rescue cats from his grandfather's house.
“I wanted to help them out because I wasn't confident that they were
going to live,” Schneider said Thursday. “Fortunately, they all lived.
They're all okay — just a little bit scared.”
Arlene Corte said roads in town turned into rivers, but her house was
not damaged.
“It could be a whole lot worse,” she said. “We’re here talking.”
With more rain on the way, more than 150 firefighters were stationed in
the area, said San Bernardino County Fire spokesman Shawn Millerick.
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A car is flipped over along a storm-damaged road after a series of
storms on Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, near Phelan, Calif. (AP
Photo/William Liang)
“We’re ready,” he said. “It’s all hands on deck at this point.”
A falling tree killed a San Diego man Wednesday, news outlets
reported. Farther north, a Sacramento sheriff’s deputy died in what
appeared to be a weather-related crash.
Areas along the coast, including Malibu, were under a flood watch
until Friday afternoon, and wind and flood advisories were issued
for much of the Sacramento Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area.
The storms were the result of atmospheric rivers carrying massive
plumes of moisture from the tropics during one of the busiest travel
weeks of the year.
Southern California typically gets half an inch to 1 inch (1.3 to
2.5 centimeters) of rain this time of year, but this week many areas
could see between 4 and 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters), with even
more in the mountains, National Weather Service meteorologist Mike
Wofford said.
More heavy snow was expected in the Sierra Nevada, where gusts
created “near white-out conditions” and made mountain pass travel
treacherous. Officials said there was a “high” avalanche risk around
Lake Tahoe and a winter storm warning was in effect through Friday.
Ski resorts around Lake Tahoe recorded about 1 to 3 feet (30 to 91
centimeters) of snow overnight, said Tyler Salas, a National Weather
Service meteorologist in Reno. Forecasters expect to see up to
another 3 feet (91 centimeters) of snow through Friday, Salas said.
The area could see 45-mph (72-kph) gusts in low elevation areas and
100-mph (161-kph) winds along mountain ridges.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared emergencies in six counties to allow
state assistance.
The state deployed resources and first responders to several coastal
and Southern California counties, and the California National Guard
was on standby.
___
Associated Press writers Sophie Austin in Oakland, California, and
Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed.
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