• California's holiday deluge began on Christmas Eve, causing widespread flooding.
• The National Weather Service anticipates drier weather over the weekend.
• Heavy rain has resulted in evacuation orders and road washouts, especially in the Los Angeles area.

Storm-hit Southern California is at risk of additional floods on Friday, making travel hazardous for millions returning home after Christmas, but forecasts from the National Weather Service indicate a drier weekend ahead. The significant rainfall, which started on Christmas Eve, has been associated with an atmospheric storm that brought vast amounts of moisture from the Pacific into the region, particularly affecting the greater Los Angeles area, according to Reuters, HuffPost, and Channel News Asia.

The storm has delivered up to 6 inches of rain in the Los Angeles area and as much as 18 inches in the nearby mountains, leading to washed-out roads and prompting both evacuations and shelter-in-place orders in certain communities. Meteorologist Tom Kines from AccuWeather noted that "there's just one more day of this mess" before conditions improve over the weekend, with an additional 1-to-3 inches of rain expected on Friday, according to Reuters and HuffPost.

Precipitation is expected to taper off, making it easier for the more than 14.5 million Californians projected to travel by car during Christmas. Many evacuation warnings lifted on Christmas Day, though orders remain for the impacted town of Wrightwood, which experienced significant damage. Aerial footage depicted devastating scenes of mud-logged neighborhoods, with residents struggling to access their homes, according to Reuters, HuffPost, and Channel News Asia.

Tragedy struck during the storms as a 74-year-old motorist died in Redding after driving around barricades and becoming submerged in floodwaters. This incident underscores the dangers still posed by the severe weather, as authorities continue to monitor the situation across the state, according to HuffPost and Channel News Asia.