Storm spreads rain, snow across California

A powerful storm moved along the California's Coast Monday and Tuesday, causing highway-blocking mudslides, flooding and power outages.

The Pacific powerhouse rolled ashore Monday and a second storm is expected to follow on Wednesday. Forecasters expect wet weather to linger through next week.

The second wave of the storm system was expected to bring an additional 2 inches to 3 inches of rain to the San Francisco Bay region on Wednesday before moving toward Southern California, said Bob Benjamin, a NWS forecaster in Monterey.

The New Year's Day forecast includes a 40% chance of rain in Pasadena during the Tournament of Roses. It hasn't rained on the Rose Parade since 1955.

A quarter-mile section of Highway 1 in southern Monterey County was closed about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday after heavy rainfall caused a large rockslide that dumped debris on the coastal route near Lucia, about 25 miles south of Big Sur and 40 miles north of Hearst Castle. The California Department of Transportation did not have an estimate of when the highway would be cleared and re-opened, said spokesman Colin Jones.

In Devore, in San Bernardino County, 60 miles east of Los Angeles, residents on Greenwood Avenue were ordered to evacuate some 50 homes as the storm moved in. Sixteen people were killed during last year's Christmas Day flash flood nearby.

In Ventura County, a deluge led to foothill area flash flood warnings. Up to 8 inches had already fallen by dawn Tuesday.

On Monday, the storm brought heavy rains throughout Northern California. Pacifica, on the coast just south of San Francisco, had about 5 inches of rainfall, while parts of Marin County received more than 7 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service.

Winds gusting more than 60 mph knocked out power to more than 80,000 customers in the Salinas area and briefly interrupted water service to about 30,000 residents on Monday. In the southern San Joaquin Valley, downed power lines left about 3,000 homes in Kern County without power Monday, Pacific Gas & Electric said.

Commutes were treacherous throughout Southern California Tuesday. The California Highway Patrol said 160 crashes were reported in the Los Angeles area from midnight to 5 a.m., eight times the 21 accident reports received during the same period on a dry day a week ago.

Source: Agencies