After several days of continuous torrential rain that caused landslides and flash flooding, California was hit by another powerful hurricane on Christmas Day.
Thursday’s storm prompted officials to issue evacuation warnings and high surf advisories.
A day after rescuing people trapped in cars during a landslide, an evacuation warning was issued for Wrightwood, a mountain town about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles.
The storm, driven by an atmospheric river known as the “Pineapple Express” that carries heavy moisture from Hawaii to the US West Coast, is expected to dump months of rain in a matter of days in California.
More than 70,000 people lost power Thursday afternoon due to the storm and its accompanying torrential rains, according to PowerOutage.us.
At least two people were reported dead due to heavy rain and strong winds on Wednesday.
Bad weather conditions will continue
Rain stopped in parts of Southern California on Thursday, but will continue through Friday, according to the NWS.
There were warnings of “widespread flows of moisture” due to heavy rain in California on Thursday.
“Multiple flash flooding events are possible. Additionally, multiple flash floods may occur, impacting major rivers. Flooding may include debris flows in or near recently burned areas,” the service said, referring to areas affected by wildfires.
The NWS warned that winds could reach up to 55 mph (88.5 kph) in some areas.
State officials declared a state of emergency in several counties, including Los Angeles.
“We’re not out of it yet. Rain continues to fall across L.A. County, making roads, waterways and flood channels extremely dangerous. Check conditions before heading out today,” Los Angeles County officials said on Thursday.
Edited by: Farah Bhagat