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The powerful storm system that has brought sustained winds, rain and snow to California this week was expected to subside Friday, but the risk of high waves and flash flooding along the coast still remains. los angeles and avalanche in Sierra Nevada,
waves Near san francisco bay area It could reach up to 25 feet (7.6 m) on Friday in parts of the U.S. Southern California Officials warned there was a risk of flooding and avalanches in the Lake Tahoe area. Residents were told to prepare to evacuate the mountain town of Wrightwood, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, due to landslides.
Atmospheric rivers brought large amounts of moisture from the tropics during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. The storm was blamed for at least two deaths earlier in the week.
The National Weather Service said the system brought the city of Los Angeles its wettest Christmas season in the past 54 years.
Roads in Wrightwood, a town of 5,000, were covered with rocks, debris and thick mud on Thursday. With electricity out, a gas station running on generators and a coffee shop served as a hub for residents and visitors.
“It’s really been a crazy Christmas,” said Jill Jenkins, who was spending the holidays with her 13-year-old grandson, Hunter LoPiccolo.
LoPiccolo said the family had almost evacuated the previous day, when water washed away part of their backyard. But they decided to stay and celebrate the holidays anyway. Lopiccolo got a new snowboard and e-bike.
“We played card games all night with candles and flashlights,” he said.
Dewey Schneider walked a half-mile (1.6 kilometers) through rain and floodwaters from his Wrightwood residence on Wednesday to rescue cats from his grandfather’s home.
“I wanted to help them because I wasn’t sure they were going to survive,” Schneider said Thursday. “Luckily, they all survived. They’re all OK – just a little scared.”
Arlene Korte said city streets turned into rivers, but her home was not damaged.
“It could be much worse,” he said. “We’re talking here.”
With more rain on the way, more than 150 firefighters were deployed to the area, San Bernardino County Fire spokesman Shawn Millerick said.
“We are ready,” he said. “Everything is fine at the moment.”
A San Diego man died after being struck by a falling tree on Wednesday, news outlets reported. Farther north, a Sacramento sheriff’s deputy died in a weather-related accident.
Areas along the coast, including Malibu, were under flood watch as of Friday afternoon, and wind and flood advisories were issued for much of the Sacramento Valley and San Francisco Bay Area.
National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Wofford said Southern California typically gets a half-inch to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.5 centimeters) of rain this time of year, but many areas could get between 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) of rain this week, with even more in the mountains.
More wind and heavy snowfall were expected in the Sierra Nevada, where gusts created “almost whiteout conditions” and made mountain pass travel hazardous.
Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in six counties to allow state aid.
The state deployed resources and first responders to several coastal and Southern California counties, and the California National Guard was on standby.
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Associated Press writers Sophie Austin in Oakland, California, and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed.