Monster storm sweeps through California
A dangerous layer of heavy snow covered the Northern California mountains, and a levee break flooded hundreds of homes in Nevada on Saturday as a major storm continued pummeling the US West Coast.
By Agencies |
SACRAMENTO: A dangerous layer of heavy snow covered the Northern California mountains, and a levee break flooded hundreds of homes in Nevada on Saturday as a major storm continued pummeling the US West Coast.
Thousands of homes and businesses had been blacked out in California, Oregon and Washington and thousands of residents had been told to leave their homes in mudslide-prone areas of Southern California. The mandatory evacuation orders were later lifted, though residents were urged to stay away from their homes.
Avalanche warnings were posted for the backcountry of the central Sierra Nevada mountains as some areas recorded up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) of snow.
"Attempting to travel in the Sierra will put your life at risk," the National Weather Service warned. Up to 9 feet (2.7 meters) of snow was possible in the Sierra by Sunday.
Rain and wind from the third storm in as many days arrived in California's capital Sacramento before the last one finished dumping snow in the mountains.
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Flash flood warnings were in effect for many areas of Southern California, where large parts of hillsides had been laid bare by the fall's wildfires. At least one death was blamed on the storm, a woman killed by a falling tree in Oregon. East of the mountains in Nevada's Lyon County, about 3,500 people were stranded after a levee broke early Saturday along an agricultural canal, authorities said. No injuries were reported.
Water was up to 3 feet (0.9 meters)deep in parts of Fernley, Nevada, east of Reno. The area had heavy rain Friday.
About 440,000 customers were without power from central California into Oregon and Washington. Flights in the San Francisco area were grounded Friday and trucks overturned in Northern California as wind gusted to 80 mph (128 kph) during the second wave of the arctic storm that has sent trees crashing onto houses, cars and roads.
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In the south, residents of Orange County canyons that were stripped by wildfires last fall making them susceptible to mudslides nervously watched weather reports to learn more about heavy downpours forecast for the area. "There's a little bit of a letup right now in the rain, but there's still a huge band of rain that's going to come in today," Ted MacKechnie, a National Weather Service forecaster, said Saturday morning.
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About 3,000 people in four canyons had been told to leave their homes by 7 pm on Friday, Orange County fire Capt. Mike Blawn said. However, there was no indication how many obeyed, and mandatory evacuation orders were later lifted. "We have been hearing that very small percentage of them actually evacuated," Battalion Chief Kris Concepcion said.
Flash flood warnings were in effect Saturday for broad stretches of Southern California, including most of Los Angeles County. Homeowners stacked sandbags and hay bales around their homes.
In the Sierra Nevada, the California Department of Transportation said Interstate 80, the main east-west link between Northern California and Nevada, reopened Saturday. The Red Cross had set up a 200-bed shelter for stranded motorists.
"It's going to be a mess for travelers," said Chris Smallcomb, a weather service meteorologist. "We expect the road conditions will be hazardous if not impossible."
As the storm moved east, whiteout conditions and up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) of snow were forecast in the Colorado mountains. California opened its emergency operations center Friday to coordinate storm response, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he had spoken with US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff by phone.
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