SoCal's Record Wet Christmas Isn't Quite Over

Southern California just logged its wettest Christmas in modern history, and the storms aren't quite done yet, reports CBS News. Rain on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day set modern records across the region, with the National Weather Service calling it the rainiest Christmas period in Southern California history, reports the Los Angeles Times. A flood watch remained in place for most of California through Friday, though forecasters said skies should turn drier over the weekend. The deluge marks one of the wettest starts to the water year—which began Oct. 1—a sharp reversal from last year's record-dry opening that preceded destructive wildfires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades.

• Big picture: Scientists say such rapid flips between extreme dry and extreme wet—sometimes called "hydroclimate whiplash"—are expected to increase as the climate warms, per the Times.
• Rain totals: Santa Barbara Airport saw 4.83 inches from Wednesday through midday Thursday, breaking its 1955 Christmas record and briefly closing the airfield twice due to flooding. Woodland Hills, Oxnard, Van Nuys, Burbank, Camarillo, and UCLA all topped previous Dec. 24-25 records. Downtown Los Angeles has picked up 2.59 inches since Christmas Eve, the fourth-wettest such period on record, with more rain still possible. Mountain areas were hammered: Ortega Hill in Ventura County received nearly 12 inches in 48 hours, and parts of the San Gabriel Mountains saw more than 10 inches.

• Won't take much: With soils saturated, officials warned that even moderate rain could quickly trigger flooding and mudslides, per the New York Times. Los Angeles County expected another 1 to 1.5 inches along the coast and in valleys, and about 4 inches in the mountains.
• Toll: Statewide, the storms caused widespread damage and at least three confirmed weather-related deaths, plus a separate fatal crash involving three vehicles on the Grapevine that remained under investigation.