A Christmas storm that drenched Los Angeles on Wednesday led to the partial closure in the afternoon of the 5 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley area, according to Caltrans. The southbound portion of the 5 freeway between Sheldon Street/Laurel Canyon Boulevard to Lankershim Boulevard was closed by f looding, Caltrans said. The northbound side of the freeway between Tuxford Street to Lankershim Boulevard also was closed. In an update around 7:45 p.m., Caltrans said southbound lanes had reopened while the northbound freeway remained closed. The strong Christmas Eve storm has been marked by dangerously strong wind gusts and rain that has drenched Southern California on Wednesday, leading to street flooding, evacuation warnings and the looming possibilities of mudslides and dangerous debris flows in areas scarred by recent wildfires. Traffic at the start of a busy holiday travel period was treacherous at best across the region, with more wet weather in the forecast. The storm landed first over Los Angeles County early Wednesday and was expected to push more strongly into Orange County and the Inland Empire as the day progresses, according to meteorologists with the National Weather Service. This is a developing story. Check back later for updates. ...read more read less