LOS ANGELES (AP) — Heavy rains drenched parts of California on Wednesday, bringing the threat of flooding and mudslides as millions of people geared up for holiday travel, the National Weather Service said.

The Pacific storm centered offshore was moving gradually southeastward, sending bands of rain ashore and hitting particularly hard on the central coast after sweeping through the San Francisco Bay Area. Flood watches were posted all the way south to San Diego.

California’s rain came as the Northeast battled the effects of storms that brought floods and downed trees, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands and killing at least five people.

More than 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) of rain had fallen by late morning in the Santa Ynez Mountains — the steep backdrop to the south Santa Barbara County’s “American Riviera” communities — and more bands of heavy rain were expected to follow.

The stormy weather came as millions of Californians geared up for holiday travel and finished preparations for Christmas, with the Automobile Club of Southern California predicting 9.5 million people in that region would travel during the year-end holiday period.

However, so far the rain hadn’t drenched the shopping season.

Employees at Skylight Books, an independent bookstore in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, were worried about the impact of the storm. But on Wednesday, general manager Mary Williams said the store was packed.

“I think after last winter’s deluge, Angelenos have decided to go out in the rain after all,” she said. “I guess buying presents for the holidays is just that important.”

At Whiskey & Leather in Montecito, near coastal Santa Barbara northwest of Los Angeles, manager Karina Cota said Wednesday’s rain had prompted customers to start and finish their Christmas shopping at the boutique to avoid going to other places in the downpour.

“They’re coming in and just want to get it over with,” she said. “They’re trying to do it all in one shot.”

In the coastal LA suburb of Long Beach, family-owned Todd’s Christmas Trees prepares each season for Southern California’s late-year heat waves and stores their trees under a giant tent to keep them from drying out. It was a coincidence that the tent also protected the trees during Wednesday’s rains.

“It kind of works out perfectly,” Mike Todd said. He expected to sell out again this year, even with the bad weather.

“People will come, as they say,” he said.

California is well aware of storm risks: In January 2018, a downpour on a wildfire burn scar unleashed massive debris flows through Montecito, destroying homes and killing 23 people.

The Santa Barbara County Fire Department increased staffing for the deluge but there were no evacuation orders for residents, said spokesperson Scott Safechuck.

“Our creeks are not showing any signs of having any issues (handling runoff) so we’re in a good position here, but we are expecting 5 to as much as 10 inches (12.7-25.4 centimeters) in the next 24 to 36 hours,” Safechuck said.

The storm, more powerful and widespread than one that blew in earlier in the week, was expected to jumpstart a laggard rainy season just a year after California was inundated by a series of atmospheric rivers that refilled reservoirs that had been emptied by a prolonged drought.

“It’s been balmily warm and unusually dry really throughout the state the past couple of weeks,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who spoke during an online briefing Tuesday.

Swain noted that the storm was very unstable, and at times on Wednesday, forecasters issued marine warnings for coastal waters due to severe thunderstorms capable of producing waterspouts.

The pace of the storm also was proving difficult to forecast. The San Diego-area weather office pushed back the timing of the heaviest rain there to Thursday and Friday.

Flood watches were issued from the central California coast to San Diego with warnings of a high risk of roadway flooding that could prompt travel delays, as well as rockslides, mudslides and debris flows from wildfire burn scars. The severe weather could pose a problem for some of the 9.5 million Southern Californians that the Auto Club predicts will be traveling for the holidays.

The relative warmth of the storm meant that snowfall would be mostly limited to high elevations in the southern Sierra Nevada and some Southern California ranges.

The California Highway Patrol office in South Lake Tahoe said in social media posts that the storm, nonetheless, was “making a mess,” producing rain, sleet, snow and icy roads.

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A slow-moving Pacific storm could bring excessive rain and flooding to California on Wednesday, forecasters warned.

The center of the low-pressure system was about 300 miles (483 kilometers) west of San Francisco during the early-morning hours and was expected to gradually move south along the coast, the National Weather Service said.

The storm, which was likely to be more powerful than one that blew in earlier this week, was expected to finally jumpstart a laggard rainy season just a year after California was inundated by a flurry of atmospheric rivers that refilled reservoirs that had been emptied by a prolonged drought.

Advisories for minor flooding were in effect for parts of the San Francisco Bay Area and around Monterey Bay. Near sunrise, forecasters issued a marine warning for waters off the central coast due to a severe thunderstorm capable of producing waterspouts.

The storm’s major impacts were expected later from the central coast south through Los Angeles to San Diego.

Flood watches issued for the region warned of a high risk of roadway flooding, rockslides and mudslides, debris flows from wildfire burn scars, and travel delays. Rainfall totals for some foothills and coastal slopes ranged up to 10 inches (25 centimeters).

Snowfall, however, was predicted to be limited to high elevations in the southern Sierra Nevada and some Southern California ranges.

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MARKLEEVILLE, Alpine County (CBS SF) – Additional mandatory evacuations were ordered in areas around the Tamarack fire on Monday as authorities warned of possible mudslides or debris flows because of the rain forecast for the region.

The Alpine County Sheriff’s Office ordered the mandatory evacuation of the Blue Lakes Road, which runs west of the fire area. The evacuation is in addition to the existing evacuations for Markleeville, Grover’s Hot Springs Park and Campground, Shay Creek, Markleeville Village, the Poor Boy Road area, Carson River Resort, Sierra Pines, Upper and Lower Manzanita, Crystal Springs, Diamond Valley Road, Hung A Le Ti, Alpine Village and Woodfords.

The Alpine and El Dorado County’s sheriff’s offices announced Monday that they are escorting evacuated residents to secure pets, papers and other emergency items. The accompaniments take place on Mondays from 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Future dates for additional escorts will be set based on current fire activity.

Anyone interested in assistance is recommended to visit the Mad Dog Cafe at 290 Old Pony Express Way in Markleeville.

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The U.S. Forest Service said there was a 60 percent chance of rain on Monday, with the possibility of flooding in drains and debris flows in steep terrain in the fire area. Even if it rains in the area, the fire could remain active, said the forest service.

The wildfire also forced Highway 89 to be closed at the Highway 4 intersection. Highway 4 remains open west of the intersection. The latest reports of the incident suggest that the Tamarack fire burned more than 25,000 acres on Monday afternoon.

On Sunday, the advancing flames forced federal park officials to close the Pacific Crest Trail, which has also been closed between Carson Pass (Highway 88) and Ebbetts Pass (Highway 4). The trail stretches for 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada and has attracted thousands of hikers. It is divided into five regions: Southern California, Central California, Northern California, Oregon, and Washington.

A firefighter walks towards a house as he battles the Tamarack Fire in the Markleeville community of Alpine County, California on Saturday, July 17, 2021. (AP Photo / Noah Berger)

Over the weekend, a determined group of firefighters battled the advancing flames of the Tamarack fire, preventing the fire from entering the heart of the evacuated Sierra community of Markleeville. The fire had consumed 23,078 acres on Monday morning without containment.

The fire began as a small smoldering flame that was ignited by lightning over the July 4th holiday. The fire came to life on Friday and quickly grew from 500 acres to more than 18,000 acres over the next 36 hours.

There was no containment, but the rapidly growing numbers of firefighters brought into the fight against the flames appeared to have saved much of Markleeville after the fire nearly encircled the community on Saturday. The fire was advancing north, away from the small mountain community.

The fire initially overwhelmed the 50 firefighters who were monitoring the fire. By Monday morning, the number of firefighters had grown to over 750.

Among those evicted from their homes was Rodney Pryor, who lives in Shay Creek.

“They gave me a couple of hours before they said, ‘You have to get out now!'” He said. “So I got a lot of stuff in my RV. All of my valuable things. “

Flames lick the side of the road as the Tamarack Fire burns in the Markleeville community of Alpine County, California on Saturday, July 17, 2021. (AP Photo / Noah Berger)

The National Weather Service said thunderstorms were expected south of US Highway 50 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday and were moving north. More isolated storms were likely in the Reno-Carson and Tahoe regions, as well as northwestern Nevada and far northeastern California.

Aside from concerns about flash floods from new burn scars and steep terrain, other impacts include gusty and erratic runoff winds, hail and frequent lightning, in addition to the heavy local rainfall.

There was also a risk that a larger area of ​​blown dust would move over parts of western central Nevada later Monday and well into the evening, causing a rapid drop in visibility.

The weather service had previously issued a red flag warning for the region from 11 a.m. on Sunday until Monday morning. Dry light was also expected to rumble through the Tahoe area, adding to the risk of forest fires.

Gusts of up to 40 miles per hour were expected.

“A red flag means that critical fire weather conditions are either now or about to occur,” weather forecasts said. “A combination of strong wind, low relative humidity and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.”

At least two buildings were destroyed.

The fire forced the cancellation of the “Death Ride” on Saturday, a 103-mile bike tour in the so-called Californian Alps over three mountain passes of the Sierra Nevada.

Kelli Pennington and her family camped near town on Friday so her husband could join his ninth ride when they were told to leave. They had observed the smoke development during the day, but were surprised by the rapid spread of the fire.

“It went so quickly,” said Pennington. “We left our tents, hammocks and some groceries behind, but we got most of our things, pushed our two children into the car and left.”

Paul Burgess, who had pulled up from Los Angeles to take the ride, said most of the cyclists he met were grateful to avoid the risk of fire.

“You just said it was going to go that way,” said Burgess. “It’s part of climate change to some extent, it’s part of many fuels that don’t burn, the humidity is low, the moisture content of the fuels is low, and … across the state, many parts are like a tinderbox.”

For long-time residents, the flames and evacuation brought back memories of the 2012 acorn fire that burned in the area.

“Everything has been rebuilt here and this area is threatened for the second time,” said local resident Andrea Fierle.

© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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