"(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) This wasn't just a wet Christmas, it was the wettest Christmas for Southern California. This Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were the rainiest in the modern record for Southern California, according to the National Weather Service office in Oxnard. And more rain is on the way. A flood watch was forecast to remain in effect for much of the state through at least Friday afternoon, with rain expected throughout the day. Skies should clear up by the weekend."
"Through midday Christmas it ranked in the 10 wettest for Southern California - a complete opposite from last year, when a record dry start to the water year preceded devastating wildfires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades. Last year was remarkably dry and hot. The summer and fall of 2024 were some of the hottest months in coastal Southern California since at least 1895."
"Between Wednesday through noon Thursday, Santa Barbara Airport got 4.83 inches of rain, beating the Dec. 24-25 record last hit in 1955, when 3.22 inches fell. The rain forced Santa Barbara Airport to close twice on Christmas Day - early in the morning and again in the late afternoon. The airfield can flood in heavy rain, forcing commercial flights to be grounded."
Southern California recorded its wettest Christmas on modern record, with Christmas Eve and Christmas Day becoming the rainiest days for the region. Flood watches remained in effect across much of the state through Friday afternoon, with more rain expected before skies clear by the weekend. The water year since Oct. 1 ranked among the 10 wettest through midday Christmas, a stark reversal from last year's record dry start that preceded devastating wildfires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades. Summer and fall 2024 were unusually hot along the coast. Scientists attribute increasing swings between dry and wet conditions — “hydroclimate whiplash” — to human-caused global warming. Many local rain records were broken and some airports closed due to flooding.
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