Particle.news
Download on the App Store

California Declares Emergency as 'Very Dangerous' Christmas Storm Pummels Los Angeles

Evacuation orders, widespread outages plus top-tier flood alerts reflect preparations for the atmospheric river's peak.

Overview

  • Authorities ordered residents to leave more than 380 properties in high‑risk zones, with Malibu and Pacific Palisades flagged for severe mudslide danger.
  • The National Weather Service warned of life‑threatening flash flooding, forecasting locally more than 30 centimeters of rain as the atmospheric river persists into the weekend.
  • Governor Gavin Newsom declared emergencies for multiple counties, activating faster response as agencies opened shelters and coordinated with the National Guard.
  • Power failures affected up to 125,000 customers statewide while downed trees and flood warnings closed roads, and a brief tornado warning for Los Angeles was later withdrawn.
  • Officials pre‑positioned roughly four million sandbags, including 55,000 supersacks, with forecasters also expecting heavy mountain snow and wind gusts up to 130 km/h.