Southern California has recorded its wettest Christmas Eve and Christmas Day ever, according to meteorologists.
Weather officials predicted earlier this year that Southern California's winter would be exceptionally dry, and that those conditions would help fuel some of the worst wildfires in the region's history.
But then the atmospheric rivers arrived and dumped enough water in Southern California to set precipitation records.
According to the National Weather Service, some mountain areas received nearly 18 inches of rain since Tuesday.
Between Wednesday and Thursday, the Santa Barbara Airport received 5.91 inches of rain, which beat its 1955 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day record of 3.22 inches. The airport had to close twice on Christmas Day due to flooding, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Woodland Hills received 4.64 inches of rain, clearing its 1971 record of 3.34 inches. Van Nuys was doused with 4.17 inches, beating its record of 1.16 inches, which was set in 2019; In Burbank, 3.48 inches fell, toppling its record of 3.1 inches set in 1971.
Downtown Los Angeles was slightly less wet, only receiving 2.79 inches between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but that was enough to make it the city's fourth-wettest two-day Christmas period on record.
Some of the mountainous regions of Southern California were inundated with rain. More than 17 inches fell on Rose Valley in Ventura County, and more than 14 inches doused San Marcos Pass in Santa Barbara County.
Earlier this week, evacuation orders were given for dozens of homes in the Sunland neighborhood of Riverwood after the heavy rainfall forced a partial release at the Tujunga Dam. Evacuating during dam releases is common, according to the LA County Department of Public Works.
Flooding from the Christmas rains contributed to the deaths of three people, including a motorist who drove into Redding floodwaters, a woman who was knocked off a rock by large waves in Mendocino County, and a man who was hit by a falling tree in San Diego.
The rain was so severe that Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Shasta counties, which allowed him to use state resources to mobilize response efforts and to seek federal assistance.
In Wrightwood, a San Bernardino County community nestled among the Sierra Nevada mountains, the rains turned the surrounding hills to mud. One family who spoke to the LA Times said their home was so entombed in mud that they could not access their doors or windows.
“I’m trying to figure things out,” Robert Gamboa told the paper. “All it is is rock and mud.”
Jason Kean, a research hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s landslide hazards program, told CalMatters that muddy, debris-filled slides — called debris flows — were like "floods on steroids."
“It’s really hard to stop these things,' he said. "The best thing to do is get out of the way.”
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