Powerful Storm Brings Rescue Efforts and Ongoing Searches Across California
California is grappling with a powerful winter storm that has triggered widespread flooding, treacherous conditions in the mountains and multiple search and rescue operations. As of , first responders are battling heavy rain and blizzard conditions across the state, with several individuals reported missing.
In Northern California, a particularly urgent situation is unfolding in the Castle Peak area, northwest of Lake Tahoe. Search and rescue teams are working to reach ten skiers who remain missing following an avalanche on . Six skiers have been located and are awaiting rescue, having been instructed by authorities to “shelter in place as best they can” while specialist ski teams navigate the challenging terrain. According to Ashley Quadros, a spokesperson for the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, 46 emergency first responders are currently involved in the effort.
The group consisted of four ski guides and twelve clients, Quadros stated. The sheriff’s office received a 911 call at approximately 11:30 a.m. Reporting the avalanche and individuals buried in the snow. The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, along with the sheriff’s Search & Rescue team and a crew from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, immediately initiated a search of the Castle Peak area.
The Sierra Avalanche Center of the Tahoe National Forest had issued warnings about high avalanche danger in the backcountry, anticipating large slides in the Central Sierra Nevada, including the Greater Lake Tahoe region, on and . These dangerous conditions were attributed to rapidly accumulating snowfall on already unstable snowpack layers, combined with gale-force winds.
Further south, the storm has brought devastating flooding to parts of California. A 5-year-old girl is currently missing after being swept into the Pacific Ocean by large waves at Garrapata State Park in Monterey County. The girl’s father, Yuji Hu, 39, of Calgary, Canada, attempted a rescue but was also pulled into the ocean. He was rescued by an off-duty California State Parks lifeguard but was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. The girl’s mother was also swept into the water but managed to return to land with the lifeguard’s assistance and was hospitalized with mild hypothermia.
In Sutter County, a 71-year-old man died after his car was swept away by the overflowing Pleasant Grove Creek, according to the California Highway Patrol.
While the worst of the storm appeared to have passed over Southern California by Saturday evening, November 15, 2025, authorities continued the search for the missing child and monitored the possibility of further thunderstorms capable of causing floods and mudflows in burn-scar areas. The National Weather Service reported that all flood advisories had expired, but cautioned that much of Southern California could still receive 0.5 to 1.5 inches of rain through early Sunday, with nearly 30 million people across the state remaining under flood notices.
The California Department of Justice maintains a database of missing persons, which is available to the public. However, the department notes that this database represents only a subset of all individuals reported missing to law enforcement agencies throughout the state. Anyone with information regarding a missing person is urged to contact the relevant law enforcement agency or the California Department of Justice at 1-800-222-FIND (1-800-222-3463).
