California gets break from heavy, historic rain, but threats of flash flooding, high surf remain

Californians got a break Friday from the record-breaking rain that caused widespread flooding over Christmas, but the state is still at risk for mudslides, high surf along the coast, flash flooding near Los Angeles and avalanches in the Sierra Nevada.

The rain and accompanying strong winds are from strong storm systems known as atmospheric rivers that carry massive plumes of moisture from the tropics.

They arrived during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year and have been blamed for two deaths earlier this week, according to CBS News. 

Downtown Los Angeles had the wettest Christmas season in 54 years, the National Weather Service said, and as many as 70,000 homes and businesses had no power between Christmas night and Friday morning, according to Find Energy.

Waves near the San Francisco Bay Area could reach up to 25 feet Friday. The storm as it moves into the state's eastern mountains has also brought heavy snow and the risk of avalanches in the Lake Tahoe area, CBS reports.