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Southern Californians are facing an epic clean-up operation after the region\u2019s wettest Christmas<\/a> holiday in recent history turned areas of the state into a panorama of mud and debris.<\/p>\n A year ago, record wildfires scorched the dry neighborhoods of Altadena and Pacific Palisades. But now, in what scientists call \u201chydroclimate whiplash\u201d, the picture is reversed after an atmospheric river off the Pacific brought the elemental opposites of winds and rain.<\/p>\n Southern California<\/a> recorded its wettest Christmas Eve and Christmas Day ever, with Santa Barbara airport getting 5.91in of rain. More than 17in fell in one single area of the Ventura county mountains.<\/p>\n Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were the rainiest for many parts of southern California, with more than 10in of rain falling in parts of the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles<\/a> county.<\/p>\n The stormy weather brought down trees, caused hundreds of car crashes and knocked out power for thousands across the state. Hundreds have found their homes and gardens hit by flows of mud.<\/p>\n Los Angeles\u2019s mayor, Karen Bass, declared a temporary state of emergency. Firefighters in Los Angeles county rescued more than 100 people just on Thursday, with one helicopter pulling 21 people from stranded cars. California\u2019s governor, Gavin Newsom, declared emergencies in Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Shasta counties.<\/p>\n With the heaviest rains now past, there is still a risk of flash flooding and mudslides, the National Weather Service warned.<\/p>\n \u201cStill not quite out of the woods, but for the most part, the worst is over,\u201d said Mike Wofford, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Los Angeles. Forecasters anticipate a dry weekend before more rain around New Year\u2019s Eve.<\/p>\n