California braces for flooding, East Coast may get a warm Christmas

California's heavy rain is expected Tuesday through Thursday.

December 20, 2021, 9:40 AM

Along the East Coast, residents are waking up to the coldest morning of the winter so far.

The wind chill -- or what temperature it feels like -- plunged to 16 degrees in New York City, 7 in Boston, 17 in Philadelphia and 24 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Northeast will stay cold through Tuesday morning, with temperatures 5 to 10 degrees below normal, before the region warms up for the rest of the week.

PHOTO: A person waits in a queue for a COVID-19 test in Times Square during cold weather in New York City, Dec. 19, 2021.
A person waits in a queue for a COVID-19 test in Times Square during cold weather in New York City, Dec. 19, 2021.
Andrew Kelly/Reuters

Some models predict Christmas Day temperatures reaching 52 degrees in Chicago, 60 in Washington, D.C., and 51 in New York City.

PHOTO: A weather map shows the expected temperatures warming at the end of the week in the north Central and Eastern U.S. this week.
ABC News

Meanwhile, the West Coast is bracing for a series of storms. Up to 10 feet of snow is expected in the Sierra Nevada mountains while flooding will threaten a large swath of California, from the Bay Area to Los Angeles.

The heavy rain is expected Tuesday through Thursday, which could cause flash flooding, mudslides and debris flow, especially in the wildfire burn scar areas.

PHOTO: A weather map shows the expected rain and snow expected in the Western U.S. this week.
ABC News

By Christmas Day, the Sierra Nevada mountains will have 5 to 10 feet of fresh snow.

PHOTO: A weather map shows the expected rain and snow expected in the Western U.S. this week.
ABC News

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