A strong storm system that brought relentless winds, rain and snowfall to California this week was expected to ease Friday, but there was still a risk of high surf along the coast, flash flooding near Los Angeles and avalanches in the Sierra Nevada.

Waves near the San Francisco Bay Area could reach up to 25 feet Friday, parts of Southern California were at risk of flooding, and avalanches could hit the Lake Tahoe area, officials warned. Residents were told to be ready to evacuate the mountain town of Wrightwood about 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles because of mudslides.

Atmospheric rivers carried massive plumes of moisture from the tropics during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. The storms were blamed for at least two deaths earlier in the week. Some 70,000 homes and businesses had no power overnight, according to Find Energy.

The system brought the wettest Christmas season to downtown Los Angeles in 54 years, the National Weather Service said.

CBS Los Angeles points out that the National Weather Service said, “The flooding threat will be exacerbated … due to the super saturation of all of the area. “Any rainfall that occurs will immediately turn to runoff.”  

Roads in the 5,000-resident town of Wrightwood were covered in rocks, debris and thick mud on Thursday. With power out, a gas station and coffee shop running on generators were serving as hubs for residents and visitors.

With more rain on the way, more than 150 firefighters were stationed in the area, said San Bernardino County Fire spokesman Shawn Millerick.

“We’re ready,” he said. “It’s all hands on deck at this point.”

A falling tree killed a San Diego man Wednesday, fire officials confirmed to the CBS affiliate there, KFMB-TV. Farther north, a Sacramento sheriff’s deputy died in what appeared to be a weather-related crash.

Areas along the coast, including Malibu, were under a flood watch until Friday afternoon, and wind and flood advisories were issued for much of the Sacramento Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Southern California typically gets half an inch to 1 inch of rain this time of year, but this week many areas could see between 4 and 8 inches, with even more in the mountains, National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Wofford said.

More wind and heavy snow were expected in the Sierra Nevada, where gusts created “near white-out conditions” and made mountain pass travel treacherous.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared emergencies in six counties to allow state assistance.

The state deployed resources and first responders to several coastal and Southern California counties, and the California National Guard was on standby.

A record-setting Christmas storm battering Southern California brought rushing floods that have already killed at least three people.

Water and debris, along with mudslides, have led to evacuation orders and water rescues as the deluge slams regions still recovering from wildfires earlier this year.

Three people have been killed, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared an emergency as of Wednesday, including flash flood warnings and evacuation orders. Road closures reported by the LA County Sheriff have triggered travel delays across the region.

The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department issued evacuation orders for communities up until the Los Angeles county line on Wednesday evening, as the area is slammed with mudslides and rushing water, worsened by the burn scars from earlier wildfires.

Evacuation orders were also issued for the Palisades, Sunset, Hurst, and Ridgewood areas, with the LAPD personally knocking on doors of vulnerable homes.

Officials told The Associated Press that 380 homes were given evacuation orders.

As of Christmas morning, the sky has cleared slightly, allowing for officials to prepare for the next bout of rain expected Thursday afternoon.

“It’s blue skies, no rain, so we’re using this time to reinforce our troops in the area to get ready for the next band of rain we’re expecting this afternoon and into tonight,” San Bernardino County Fire Department Public Information Officer Christopher Prater told The New York Post at around 9:30 a.m. local time.

Prater said no rescues were conducted overnight, but firefighters continue to patrol the San Debrardino area. Crews are continuing to use equipment to try to clear the roads, taking advantage of a break in the storm.

Flash flood warnings urging residents to get to higher ground and not to travel in flood waters have been issued by the National Weather Service for most of Southern California. Warnings were issued for Santa Barbara, Malibu and Topanga.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department rescued a 50-year-old man, alone with his cat and his dog, from the hood of a car in the Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood, and issued an evacuation order for the area on Wednesday evening.

The record-setting storm began on Christmas Eve and is predicted to dump many months’ worth of rain over just a few days, according to Tom Kines, Senior Meteorologist at Accuweather.

“The good news is once we get past tomorrow, the rain will definitely ease up out there, and there will be a stretch of sunnier and dry weather for several days,” Kines said.

A San Diego man was killed Wednesday morning after a tree fell on him, the third death linked to the storm pummeling Southern California over the holiday, the San Diego Police Department confirmed.

The man, who was 64, was in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego when he was hit by the tree around 10:55 a.m.

Local television news outlets showed the massive 75-foot tree collapsed on the sidewalk at 3805 Marlborough Ave. Family told NBC 7 San Diego that the man was named Roberto Ruiz, and that he had just stepped out of their home to move his car when part of the tree toppled and crushed him.

Ruiz’s death was the third fatality linked to the Pineapple Express storm that has brought debris flows, downpours and evacuations to the Southland.

On Sunday, a person died in rising waters as flooding overwhelmed parts of Redding, according to city officials. Police officers tried to save the person, who was inside a vehicle as the waters rose around them, but they did not make it out in time.

On Monday, a woman in her 70s was knocked off a rock and killed by a large wave during a fierce storm at a beach at MacKerricher State Park, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.