California's Christmas Deluge: Three Lives Lost in Severe Storms

Fri Dec 26 2025 04:57:52 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Heavy rains and flooding in California cause serious damage and fatalities during the holiday period, prompting emergency responses and state declarations.

As of Christmas night, severe atmospheric rivers have unleashed torrential rains across California, resulting in three fatalities and widespread evacuations. The downpour has led to significant flooding and mudslides, particularly affecting areas still recovering from wildfires. California's Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency, with emergency responders engaged in multiple rescues amid ongoing storm conditions.

Atmospheric rivers dumped heavy rains on large parts of California, causing floods and mudslides and leaving three dead as of Christmas night, according to local officials.

The storms - which were expected to continue through Friday - brought 11 inches (27 cms) of rainfall to some parts of Los Angeles County, prompted evacuations and shut down major roads.

Emergency responders have had to perform several rescues, including people stuck in vehicles as flood waters rise. California's Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday in Los Angeles and other southern California counties.

About 100,000 people in the state were without power as of Thursday evening.

The US Weather Prediction Center said on Thursday that 'Numerous flash flooding events are possible'.

A 64-year-old man from San Diego, California, was killed on Wednesday morning by a fallen tree, the police department told US media. Another person, a 74-year-old, died from flood waters over the weekend while police tried to rescue him from his vehicle in Redding, California. On Monday, a woman in her 70s died after she was 'knocked off a rock by a large wave and swept into the ocean' at MacKerricher State Park in Mendocino County, according to the sheriff's office.

Evacuation warnings were in effect for residents of San Bernardino County in southern California, and flash flood warnings were issued for those in the San Francisco Bay area on Thursday morning. Wind speeds in the Bay Area topped 100 mph (161 km/h) at one observatory near San Jose.

In Altadena, near Los Angeles, residents experienced a mudslide from flooding in a burn scar area unable to absorb water due to wildfires that occurred in January of this year. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has declared an emergency and cautioned residents to be aware of hazardous road conditions during this busy holiday travel period.

The storms originated from multiple atmospheric rivers carrying significant moisture from tropical regions during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.