The National Weather Service updated their 48-hour rainfall totals for the ongoing Southern California atmospheric river storm on Thursday morning. Several locations across the region had already received a half-foot of rain by Wednesday afternoon.

Atmospheric rivers dumped heavy rains on large parts of California, causing floods and mudslides and leaving three dead as of Christmas night, according to local officials.

"Life-threatening" storm conditions were expected to persist through Christmas Day over Southern California, "where widespread flash flooding is underway," the weather service said.