California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency across six counties on Christmas Eve as a series of powerful winter storms drenched much of the state, triggering flash flooding, mudslides, debris flows, and water rescues, with forecasters warning that another storm system could make Christmas Day one of the wettest in years for Southern California.
The emergency proclamation, issued Dec. 24, covers Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Shasta counties. It allows for the rapid deployment of state resources as atmospheric rivers—long, moisture-laden storm systems from the Pacific—soaked parts of California and threatened to continue drenching the state through Christmas Day.
