An atmospheric riverhas lashed Southern Californianswith rain, but the wet weather isn't over just yet, bringing with it an increased threat of flooding after days of heavy precipitation. But the next weather event brewing is a forecasted Santa Ana wind event.
In recent days, Southern Californians have faced a short-lived tornado warning, widely-reported flooding on Interstate 5 and power outages amid the Christmas holiday. Gov. Gavin Newsom issued astate of emergencyfor Los Angeles County and other swaths of the state on Christmas Eve.
The National Weather Service Los Angeles, which covers Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, forecasts that parts of the county could see up to three inches of rain on Friday, Dec. 26.
The rain isn't isolated to Los Angeles. A NWS San Diego forecast shows rain expected through tonight for Orange and southwestern San Bernardino counties.
The NWS Los Angeles said that the threat of floods, triggered by the rain, is exacerbated due to how saturated the area is. Los Angeles County remains under a flood advisory through noon, according to the NWS Los Angeles.
"Any rainfall that occurs will immediately turn to run off," the NWS Los Angeles said.
Stretches of the county, including areas impacted by wildfires like the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, continue to be at risk of debris and mudflows Dec. 26, according to aforecastfrom the Los Angeles County Public Works.
From a short-lived tornado warning to flooding, Southern Californians' Christmas Eve is being shaped by the weather amid an atmospheric river that officials have warned about for days.People sit on the roof of a building while they are stranded during floods partially submerging the surrounding area in the aftermath of torrential rains, in San Bernardino County, California, U.S. December 24, 2025 in this screengrab obtained from a social media video." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Strong atmospheric river brings floods, snow, high winds to California
From a short-lived tornado warning to flooding,Southern Californians' Christmas Eve is being shaped by the weather amid an atmospheric riverthat officials have warned about for days.People sit on the roof of a building while they are stranded during floods partially submerging the surrounding area in the aftermath of torrential rains, in San Bernardino County, California, U.S. December 24, 2025 in this screengrab obtained from a social media video.
How much rain did we get? See preliminary totals for Los Angeles County
Parts of Los Angeles County have experienced over several inches of rain and greater in recent days, according to preliminarydatafrom the NWS Los Angeles issued the morning of Dec. 26.
Downtown Los Angeles received 3.27 inches of rain, according to three-day totals through the morning of Dec. 26. Nearby, Beverly Hills received 3.62 inches of rain; Culver City received 2.35 inches of rain; and Bel Air received just over four inches of rain.
Elsewhere in the county, according to the preliminary data on rainfall amounts:
San Fernando Valley: Woodland Hills received 7.11 inches of rain; Canoga Park received 6.69 inches of rain; Northridge received 6.23 inches of rain; Calabasas received 4.58 inches of rain; Van Nuys received 4.96 inches of rain; and Burbank received 3.55 inches of rain.
San Gabriel Valley: East Pasadena received 3.36 inches of rain; Alhambra received 3.51 inches of rain; Sierra Madre received nearly four inches of rain; and Claremont received 2.39 inches of rain.
Los Angeles County mountains: Mt. Baldy received 6.10 inches of rain.
Antelope Valley: Lancaster received 2.12 inches of rain.
Long Beach: 1.90 inches of rain
Santa Monica: 2.89 inches of rain
When will the rain stop?
Dry and clearing skies are forecasted for Saturday, Dec. 27, according to the NWS Los Angeles. But following all this recent wet weather is a Santa Ana wind event, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Chad Merrill said on Dec. 24. The threat it poses — even a mild one — include downed trees, as the soil is loosed by all the recent rain, Merrill said.
The multi-day Santa Ana wind event will develop and "dominate the weather" for Monday, Dec. 29 into Tuesday, Dec. 30, according to the NWS Los Angeles. The Santa Ana wind event is forecasted by NWS Los Angeles to peak on Dec. 30.
Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her atpbarraza@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:These LA County areas got lots of rain this Christmas. See forecast
