LOS ANGELES — The most powerful Christmas storm in years slammed into Southern California on Wednesday, closing roads, flooding streets and drenching last-minute holiday shoppers.

The region’s wet Christmas is expected to continue through the weekend, though forecasters said Wednesday was expected to be the more intense day of rain. Southern California’s coastal areas and valleys are forecast to get 4 to 6 inches of rain this week, while some foothills and mountains could receive 10 inches.

Burst of intense rain flooded freeways, caused some scattered mudslides and prompted a few evacuations across the region Wednesday.

Some of the biggest worries came in areas devastated by the Los Angeles firestorms in January.

Walking past their neighbors’ homes on Woodland Drive in Sierra Madre, Missy and Jay Chapman said they’d worked for hours Tuesday to prepare their home for flooding.

Decked out in rain gear with umbrellas and their soggy sheepadoodle, Iggy, on Wednesday morning, the Chapmans, both 57, said they were not concerned for their 1920s-built home, where they’ve lived since 2003.

“We’re always a little worried, but what are you gonna do?” Missy Chapman said, taking cover in her neighbor’s carport.

Her husband diligently cleans every gutter and any sort of debris that could allow rain to pool near their home, she said.

The so-called Pineapple Express was forecast to be the strongest atmospheric river storm to hit Southern California in nearly two years, National Weather Service meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld said. Rain is expected to continue Thursday along with the flood and slide risks. On Friday and Saturday, there will still be a chance for additional showers, adding to already high rain totals. Dropping temperatures are forecast to bring several inches of snow to Southern California mountains.

The rain brought more challenges for shoppers.

At Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance, 59-year-old Trini Johnson took a break from shopping with her 14-year-old niece.

Johnson was recovering from a knee injury and would have preferred to stay home in bed sleeping before being forced to work, but her niece needed to do last-minute shopping.

She said getting out of the car in the rain was “horrible” and “awful.”

“I hate wearing jackets,” she said, pointing to her jacket. “See, I’m wearing my jacket on the wrong side.”

Johnson and her niece were coming from Mid-City and took side streets because she refuses to drive on the freeway. She said the last time she drove in the rain, she was in the fast lane when a car on the opposite side of the freeway splashed water on her windshield, temporarily blocking her view.

“I didn’t know whether to press on the brakes or not,” she said. “It scared the hell of me.”

Gladys Hampton stood by entrance of Macy’s facing the parking lot. Somewhere out there was her car, and she would have to speed-walk to avoid getting too wet. But unlike some shoppers at the mall, Hampton didn’t mind any of this one bit.

“On the plus side, the mall is not that busy,” she said. “It feels Christmas-y — the weather. It may be subjective to me because I like the gloomy weather.”

Things were more dicey on the roads.

Before sunrise, most lanes of the 5 Freeway in Sun Valley were flooded, stranding cars and leaving one with water up to its doors. Farther to the northwest, both northbound lanes at a truck bypass in Sylmar were flooded.

A rockslide was reported on Highway 14 midway between Santa Clarita and Palmdale.

In Orange County, where residents near last year’s Airport burn scar have been told to leave, residents have been told they can drop off their animals at a county shelter while they could stay at the county library in Foothill Ranch, which opened to evacuees Wednesday morning.

In Wrightwood, conditions were worsening Wednesday morning as the rain accumulated on the fire-scarred hills, and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department issued an evacuation warning from Pine Street to the Los Angeles County line because of potential mud and debris flows.

Fire officials were notified of flooding across Highway 2 near Wrightwood at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, said Christopher Prater, a spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District.

“We do have multiple debris flows and flooding across the community,” he said. “Right now, our primary concern is life safety.”

Prater said crews were going door to door to help people leave their homes while others responded to reports of “multiple people stuck in vehicles in the roadway.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Shasta counties in response to a series of powerful storms hitting the region.

The storm has resulted in saturated soils, heightening the risk of flooding, landslides, debris flows, and rapidly rising creeks and rivers statewide.

The emergency proclamation allows for rapid mobilization of state resources and support for local governments under the California Disaster Assistance Act and the deployment of the California National Guard if needed.

Northern California was also hard hit earlier in the week. On Sunday, a person died in rising waters as flooding overwhelmed parts of Redding. On Monday afternoon, a woman in her 70s was knocked off a rock and killed by a large wave during a fierce storm at a beach. Less than a mile away from the Meta Campus, Menlo Park residents on Wednesday woke up to rising knee-deep floodwaters and possible evacuation warnings.

Ana Leon, 37, and her mother, Socorro Diaz, 63, had just wandered inside the Torrance mall and headed to a coffee shop — not the most ideal trip on the rainiest of days.

“We forgot some people’s presents,” Leon said, chuckling. Her mom, holding her cup with two hands, laughed. “But we don’t have to tell them that.”

Asked how she felt about having to walk with wet socks and shoes while shopping, she said the coffee was helping and she needed to purchase only three gifts.

“Maybe some new sneakers and socks,” Leon said, smiling.

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(Times staff writer Terry Castleman contributed to this report.)

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