A powerful atmospheric river headed for Southern California is expected to drop several inches of rainfall, creating the potential for travel challenges primarily on Christmas Eve extending into Christmas, forecasters said Monday, Dec. 22.
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\nThe storm is due to arrive during the day Tuesday and will gradually intensify, bringing the heaviest rainfall from Tuesday night into Wednesday, forecasters with the National Weather Service said. A flood watch is to be in effect from 4 p.m. Tuesday to 10 p.m. Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will be the first heavy pulse of the atmospheric river,\u201d said Rich Thompson, a meteorologist with NWS\u2019 Oxnard office.
\nLos Angeles County valleys and coastal areas could see 4 to 8 inches through Saturday, Thompson said.
\nResidents in valley and coastal areas in Orange County and the Inland Empire could see upwards of 4 inches by the end of Wednesday, said Lauren Villafane, a meteorologist with NWS\u2019 San Diego office.
\nThe LA County mountains are expected to see between 6 and 12 inches of rainfall, while mountain ranges in Orange County and the Inland Empire could see 5 to 9 inches during the same period, forecasters said.<\/p>\n
Snow is not likely to fall below 7,500 feet until the weekend, they said, because of a warm air mass and subtropical moisture associated with the atmospheric river, Thompson said. Over the weekend, snow levels may be seen at elevations of 7,000 feet and above.
\nBut the primary concern for forecasters is Christmas Eve, when heavy rainfall could bring mudslides and debris flows to burn scar areas and the possibility of urban flooding, Thompson said.
\n\u201cThe LA River won\u2019t be overflowing, but there will be significant flow, so there could be swift water rescue issues there,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cPretty much anything you can imagine with bad water things are definitely possible with this storm.\u201d
\nForecasters recommend keeping an eye out for road closures and preparing for additional travel time. Do not attempt to cross flooded roadways, they warn.<\/p>\n
Los Angeles\u2019 Emergency Operations Center was activated Monday to coordinate preparedness measures for the upcoming storm, city officials said, with resources strategically deployed to assist with swift water rescues, mud and debris flows and other rain-related issues \u201cwith a specific focus in burn scar areas.\u201d
\nThe Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority on Monday began conducting outreach to inform the population of the weather and provide them with safety information and supplies, officials said.
\nIn Pasadena, where some residents\u2019 homes are near Eaton fire burn scars, sandbags were available at Pasadena Fire Department Station 37, 3430 E. Foothill Blvd., and Station 38, 1150 Linda Vista Ave., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., officials said.
\nResidents were urged to consider installing protective barriers to keep water and debris away from structures and to clear debris from gutters and downspouts to improve water flow. Residents were also urged to prepare emergency go bags in the event of an evacuation warning or order.<\/p>\n
The upcoming storm is expected to bring significant rainfall to Southern California, with the potential for travel challenges, mudslides, and debris flows. Residents are urged to prepare for the storm by keeping an eye out for road closures, preparing for additional travel time, and not attempting to cross flooded roadways. Emergency preparations are underway, with resources deployed to assist with swift water rescues, mud and debris flows, and other rain-related issues.<\/p>\n
Q: When is the storm expected to arrive?
\nA: The storm is due to arrive during the day Tuesday and will gradually intensify, bringing the heaviest rainfall from Tuesday night into Wednesday.
\nQ: How much rainfall is expected?
\nA: Los Angeles County valleys and coastal areas could see 4 to 8 inches through Saturday, while the LA County mountains are expected to see between 6 and 12 inches of rainfall.
\nQ: What are the primary concerns for forecasters?
\nA: The primary concerns are Christmas Eve, when heavy rainfall could bring mudslides and debris flows to burn scar areas and the possibility of urban flooding.
\nQ: What should residents do to prepare?
\nA: Residents should keep an eye out for road closures, prepare for additional travel time, and not attempt to cross flooded roadways. They should also consider installing protective barriers to keep water and debris away from structures and clear debris from gutters and downspouts to improve water flow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to the Storm A powerful atmospheric river headed for Southern California is expected to drop several inches of rainfall, creating the potential for travel challenges primarily on Christmas Eve extending into Christmas, forecasters said Monday, Dec. 22. The storm is due to arrive during the day Tuesday and will gradually intensify, bringing the heaviest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":26142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-26140","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-crime-reports"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/OCR-L-RAINFALL-1223-02-SR.jpg?w=1400px&strip=all&w=1400&resize=1400,933&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26140"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26140"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26143,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26140\/revisions\/26143"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}