Flood watch remains in LA County thru Dec. 26 amid Christmas storms in Southern California
Weather Forecast for Thursday, Dec. 25
The latest forecast and air quality conditions for the greater Los Angeles area, including beaches, valleys and desert regions.
LOS ANGELES - It was a cold and soggy Christmas across California as the second wave of a holiday storm arrived on Thursday.
Howling winds and downpours led to some flooded roadways and even road closures in some communities. In addition, evacuation orders are in place for residents in recent burn scar zones.
RELATED: Holiday storm rolls through Southern California: Timeline
Strong storm causes damage across SoCal
Search-and-rescue operations continued overnight in San Bernardino County as a powerful Christmas storm unleashed destructive mud and debris flows across multiple mountain and high desert communities.
Newsom declares state of emergency
As the first wave of the storm, set to be the most intense of the holiday week, bared down across the Southland, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency for Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego and Shasta counties. This will "activate emergency authorities and preposition resources to keep our communities safe," Newsom explained.
Evacuation warnings
Evacuation warnings remain in place for the following burn scar zones:
Los Angeles County
- Kenneth Fire
- Palisades and Mandeville Canyon
- Eaton Fire
- Sunset Fire
- Topanga Canyon closure (Pacific Coast Highway to Grand View Drive)
Ventura County
Evacuation warnings in Ventura County were lifted on Wednesday.
Orange County
Evacuation warnings were lifted in Orange County for the Airport Fire burn scar zone on Wednesday.
San Bernardino County
An evacuation order was downgraded to an evacuation warning in Wrightwood for communities along Highway 2 to Palmdale Road west of Sheep Creek Road, to the LA County Line, officials said.
"There is still potential for mud and debris flow from an approaching storm that may affect your area," the San Benradino County Sheriff wrote.
Flood Watch in LA and Ventura counties
FOX 11 Chief Meteorologist Adam Kruger said persistent rain is expected on Thursday, especially in LA and Ventura counties, which will see over an inch of rain, with some spots potentially getting over two inches. Friday could drop another inch for some areas.
A Flood Watch remains in effect for the two Southern California counties through 6 p.m. Friday, while the weather alert expired for Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties expired at 6 a.m. Thursday.
How much did it rain on Christmas Eve?
Kruger said Wednesday was very likely the heaviest wave of this whole event. Rain totals were especially high across the mountains, with several places measuring more than 6 inches and even over 8 inches in a few spots.
Below is a live update on the Christmas storm in Southern California:
10 p.m.: Emergency crews worked around the clock to respond to multiple crashes across the Santa Clarita area after the holiday storms brought dangerous driving conditions.
Traffic hazards amid Christmas storms
The Christmas storms brought various driving hazards for Angelenos during the holidays.
3 p.m.: Up in the Pasadena area, FOX 11's Nic Garcia spoke with businesses and families who shared sighs of relief at seeing mild weather on Christmas Day.
RELATED: Southern Californians enjoy Christmas break from storms while bracing for one more round of rain
Christmas Day relief with light rain
Thursday marked Christmas Day relief as Southern California only dealt with light rain as opposed to flooding scares that came from the previous day.
8 a.m.: FOX 11's Mario Ramirez reported from the Eaton Fire burn scar zone, that was hit with mud and debris flow on Wednesday.
Mud and debris flow hit Eaton Fire burn scar zone
A storm caused damage across Southern California, including in the Eaton Fire burn scar area, on Christmas Eve. A second wave of the storm is expected to hit the afternoon of Christmas Day.
7 a.m.: FOX 11 Meteorologist Star Harvey explained that while it appeared conditions were drying out for some parts of the region, the second wave of the storm is expected by the afternoon hours.