The atmospheric river storm that has unleashed heavy downpours across Southern California — with some areas seeing more than a half-foot — is continuing to drench the region on Thursday, Christmas Day.
Widespread flooding has been reported from the storm, and mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for several communities, especially those in burn scar zones. Several roads, including a vital portion of the 5 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley, were shut down after being inundated with water.According to the National Weather Service, the “long duration atmospheric river event” is not over yet. In fact, NWS projections indicate that, in addition to Christmas Eve, Christmas Day will see the heaviest rainfall.” Much of the region had already received 2 to 6 inches of rain as of Thursday morning.
“Two more impulses will move through the area [Thursday] and Friday and will bring periods of showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms,” the National Weather Service said. “The potential for flooding will be high during this period.”
Showers are expected to taper off by late Friday evening, with dry weather returning for the weekend, the Weather Service said. Several watches, warnings and advisories remained in effect for different parts of SoCal. Click here to view them.
Snow levels, which remained above the 7,500-foot range on Wednesday, were expected to drop to around 6,500 feet on Thursday. By Friday, levels are expected to drop further, bringing some decent accumulations at resort elevations.
Wrightwood mudslide damage
The extent of damage caused by rain-triggered mudslides in Wrightwood, California, came into sharper focus Thursday afternoon when the San Bernardino County Fire Department released video showing homes and cars buried under several feet of thick mud and rocks. VIDEO & Details: https://ktla.com/weather/new-video-shows-homes-buried-in-wrightwood-mudslides-after-massive-storm/
Highway and lane closure updates
Caltrans District 7 announced Thursday morning that several closures due to the storm have since been lifted. As of 8:30 a.m., the following locations had been opened:
- All lanes of the 5 Freeway near Lankershim Boulevard (three nearby on-ramps remain closed: southbound Lankershim, southbound Calgrove Boulevard and northbound Tuxford Street)
- Tejon Pass rest area
- State Route 138 in Ventura County
As of that time, however, there were still some closures in effect:
- 101 Freeway: Left lane closed in both directions between California Street and Seaward Avenue in Ventura
- State Route 2 (Angeles Crest Highway): Full closure for 12 miles west of State Route 39
- Topanga Canyon Boulevard: Full closure between Grand View Drive and Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu
- State Route 33: Full closure between Fairview Road and Lockwood Valley Road in Ojai
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