Heavy rain, power outages, closed roads: the US state of California will be hit by a severe storm over Christmas. At least two people were killed.
December 25, 2025, 07:45December 25, 2025, 1:27 p.m
Severe storms cause flooding and deaths in southern California on Christmas. At least two people died as a result of falling trees or traffic accidents related to the winter storm, as US media reported. Pictures showed flooded streets, washed-away cars and mudslides. According to the website poweroutage.us, more than 125,000 households were without electricity.
There was also damage in parts of California on Christmas Eve.Image: keystone
Evacuation warnings or orders were in effect in several districts. Areas around Los Angeles that were hit by devastating fires at the beginning of the year are also affected. The reason for the heavy rain in the otherwise sun-drenched state is a weather phenomenon called “atmospheric river,” a band of moisture-saturated air.
State of emergency declared
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for several areas in southern California on Wednesday (local time), including the megacities of Los Angeles and San Diego. The mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, also declared a local emergency in the west coast metropolis in order to release additional resources for emergency services – “from quick water rescues to the removal of fallen trees to the coordination of safe evacuations.”
The US Weather Service warned of further heavy rain and snow in the mountains on Thursday and Friday. Flash floods are possible, and numerous streams could overflow their banks and cause landslides and mudslides in burnt areas.
“If you plan to be out and about during the Christmas holiday, please reconsider your plans,” NWS meteorologist Ariel Cohen told reporters. “Significant flooding, rock falls and mudslides are likely to occur in many areas, particularly in high elevation areas and on roads through ravines,” Cohen added.
Consequences of the “atmospheric flow”
There had already been heavy rain in the region on Wednesday night. In the meantime, authorities in Los Angeles issued a tornado warning, but later withdrew it.
The weather phenomenon, called an “atmospheric river,” could bring more than 12 inches of rain to some communities in Southern California, according to the NWS. Atmospheric rivers are streams in the atmosphere that carry huge amounts of water vapor from the tropics and transport them to cooler regions. Such a stream is expected to fall over Southern California by the weekend. The heaviest rainfall is expected on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Snowfall is also expected in the Sierra Nevada mountains along California’s eastern border. 30 centimeters of snow had already fallen here this week.
On Tuesday, authorities in Los Angeles had already ordered the evacuation of more than 200 households. Several emergency shelters in the region opened their doors to people evacuated from their homes.
Classy suburbs are probably particularly affected
The posh Los Angeles suburbs of Pacific Palisades and Malibu, where devastating fires raged almost a year ago, could be particularly affected. Because of the heavy rainfall that has been announced, serious landslides are feared there. Due to the massive damage caused by the fires at the time, the area is prone to mudslides during heavy rain.
However, many residents of Los Angeles did not allow themselves to be deterred in their Christmas preparations. Some were still out on Wednesday to get last-minute gifts, buy groceries or go jogging.
Others, however, changed their plans because of the storm. “We have decided to stay at home,” resident Jim Lewis told the AFP news agency. Because of the severe weather warnings, he decided against visiting his cousins in nearby Pasadena. “It doesn’t feel safe,” he said.
Resident Larissa Peet, on the other hand, wanted to stick to her planned Christmas party despite the warnings. “We don’t do anything different than usual,” she said. “We just hang out together, eat, drink and have fun.” (sda/afp/dpa)