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California dries off after storms batter state for days

Californians were cleaning up and drying off Friday after a series of storms dumped heavy rain and snow throughout the state, caused at least six deaths and forced the rescue of more than a dozen people in rushing rivers.
Credit: Giacomo Luca
Heavy rains in Northern California have brought flooding in Sacramento County.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Update 11 p.m.:

Californians were cleaning up and drying off Friday after a series of storms dumped heavy rain and snow throughout the state, caused at least six deaths and forced the rescue of more than a dozen people in rushing rivers.

Road crews will be working to clear mud, debris and trees that blocked some roads from Malibu to San Francisco. In Ventura County, residents were urged to avoid coming into contact with storm runoff or ocean water for several days after flooding at an RV park sent 4,500 gallons (17,000 liters) of sewage into a river.

The latest storm moved east Thursday and was set to unleash heavy rain, snow and wind in Colorado.

"(It) will be slamming the East Coast by Sunday," National Weather Service forecaster Steve Anderson said. "From Maine to Florida."

The three-day drenching put a dent in California's drought, dumping as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain in parts of Southern California, and between 3 and 6 inches (7.6 and 15 centimeters) in Los Angeles.

Rain and snow that battered the state canceled flights, uprooted trees, knocked down power lines and caused localized flooding.

A 57-year-old hiker was in critical condition Thursday night after a boulder hit her in Malibu. In Riverside and San Bernardino counties east of Los Angeles, firefighters rescued 13 mostly homeless people who became stranded on islands in the Santa Ana River.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department posted a dramatic video of a helicopter rescue of one person caught in the rising San Gabriel River.

Also in Los Angeles, about 20 residents were evacuated from their homes in the Hollywood Hills when mud slid from beneath a house. No one was hurt and the residents were allowed to return home several hours later.

In San Francisco, fallen trees blocked the city's iconic cable car tracks for hours Thursday and similarly delayed other commuter trains in region.

In the Marin County community of Mill Valley, just north of San Francisco, a man was killed when he jumped into the street to dodge a falling tree Wednesday night and was hit by a van, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Earlier Wednesday, a branch from a falling tree killed a 42-year-old homeless man in Oakland. The man may have been "just trying to stay dry" under the tree, CHP officer Herman Baza said.

CHP reported that four people were killed in separate Northern California crashes caused by rain-slickened roads this week, including a 1-year-old who was among three people in a vehicle who died Tuesday from a crash in the Sierra Nevada foothill town of Placerville.

In the Southern California hillside community of Oak Park, where residents used pumps and sandbags to hold off rushing storm water, longtime resident Diane Starzak said her neighborhood "kind of dodged the bullet" as the storms began to taper off.

"We actually had our suitcases in the car and were ready to leave," Starzak said.

Meanwhile, blizzard conditions blanketed the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada and the region's ski resorts with as much as 4 feet (1.2 meters) of snow just in time for the three-day Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.

So much snow accumulated on the tail of an executive jet parked at the Tahoe Truckee Airport that the plane's nose tilted skyward in a stationary wheelie.

Pacific Gas & Electric said 280,000 customers lost power at some point since Wednesday. Most homes had their power restored by the end of the day.

Update 4:30 p.m.: 

The storm that pummeled much of California for three days began moving east Thursday after causing at least six deaths, forcing wildfire victims threatened by floods to flee their homes and plunging nearly 300,000 utility customers into darkness.

The National Weather Service says the winter storm is forecast to drop its heavy rain, snow and wind in Colorado and "will be slamming the East Coast by Sunday," forecaster Steve Anderson said. "From Maine to Florida."

Anderson said most of California should be dry and sunny by Friday.

The three-day drenching put a dent in California's drought. Government and university researchers who maintain the U.S. Drought Monitor map now classify most of the state as abnormally dry or in moderate drought. Only about 6 percent is in severe or extreme drought, compared to nearly a quarter of the state last September.

Rain and snow fell from one end of the state to the other, canceling flights, uprooting trees, knocking down power lines and causing localized flooding.

In San Francisco, fallen trees blocked the city's iconic cable car tracks for hours Thursday and similarly delayed other commuter trains in region. The city's Department of Public Works said its crews worked around the clock to clear trees and branches.

A 200-year-old oak tree towering 100 feet (30 meters) over James Holmes' suburban San Francisco home toppled over in the wind Wednesday night.

"My family lived under it in our house, for 70 years," he said.

In the Marin County community of Mill Valley, just north of San Francisco, a man was killed when he jumped into the street to dodge a falling tree Wednesday night and was struck by a van, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Earlier Wednesday, a branch from a falling tree killed a 42-year-old homeless man in Oakland. The man may have been "just trying to stay dry" under the tree, CHP officer Herman Baza said.

CHP reported that four people were killed in separate Northern California crashes caused by rain-slickened roads this week, including a 1-year-old who was among three people in a vehicle who died Tuesday from a crash in the Sierra Nevada foothill town of Placerville.

Southern California authorities concerned with rising streams and excessive runoff ordered evacuations in parts of Malibu and other areas scarred by wildfires. Malibu schools canceled classes. Santa Anita racetrack canceled its slate of horse races Thursday.

In the Southern California hillside community of Oak Park, where residents used pumps and sandbags to hold off rushing storm water, longtime resident Diane Starzak said her neighborhood "kind of dodged the bullet" as the worst of three days of storms began to taper off.

Northern California authorities warned of possible floods and debris flows in the wildfire-ravished city of Paradise and the surrounding region denuded of protective trees and vegetation, telling residents to prepare to flee on a moment's notice.

Meanwhile, blizzard conditions blanketed the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada and the region's ski resorts with as much as 4 feet (1.2 meters) of snow just in time for the three-day Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.

So much snow accumulated on the tail of an executive jet parked at the Tahoe Truckee Airport that it caused the plane's nose to tilt skyward in a stationary wheelie.

Pacific Gas & Electric said 280,000 customers lost power at some point since Wednesday. PG&E spokeswoman Mayra Tostado said 26,432 customers remained without power Thursday afternoon.

Original:

Heavy rain, snow and wind pummeled much of California Thursday, causing at least five deaths, leaving thousands without power and forcing wildfire victims threatened by floods to flee their homes.

In harder hit Northern California, authorities warned of imminent floods and debris flows in the wildfire-ravished city of Paradise and the surrounding region denuded of protective trees and vegetation, telling residents to prepare to flee their homes on a moment's notice.

Runoff flowed from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Sierra Nevada foothills and from Central Coast counties to Los Angeles and the inland region to the east. Blizzard conditions blanketed the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada with snow while high surf rolled ashore along the coast. Concern was high in communities near burn scars of recent wildfires.

"Flash flooding is a dangerous and life threating situation," the Butte County sheriff's department said. "Due to the dynamic nature of debris flow and flash flood events, residents should not wait for an evacuation order to take action."

The California Highway Patrol reported that four people were killed in two separate Northern California auto accidents caused by rain-slickened roads this week, including a family of three killed Tuesday in the Sierra Nevada foothill town of Placerville.

The CHP says high winds knocked over a large tree that fell into a homeless encampment Wednesday afternoon, killing a 42-year-old man. The CHP said the victim may have been trying to shelter under some trees near an Oakland freeway when he was crushed by a 30-foot-long (9-meter) branch.

The man may have been "just trying to stay dry," CHP officer Herman Baza said. "Unfortunately, that protection was deadly."

More than 140 flights were canceled at San Francisco International Airport and the CHP warned of treacherous road conditions throughout the state.

Meanwhile, blizzard conditions blanketed the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada and the region's ski resorts with as much as four feet of snow just in time for the three-day Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.

So much snow accumulated on the tail of an executive jet parked at the Tahoe Truckee Airport that it propped its nose in the air Wednesday morning.

RELATED: Sandbag locations opened in anticipation of heavy rains

RELATED: How to prepare for a winter storm

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RELATED: How to report an outage and get power restored during a storm

Tens of thousands of people were without electricity in Pacific Gas & Electric utility areas, including more than 15,000 in San Jose late Wednesday night.

The weather service issued a high surf warning for San Francisco County through Friday, with 30-foot (9-meter) breakers along the coast of the North Bay, Monterey Bay and Big Sur.

Weather concerns also kept a stretch of scenic Highway 1 in Big Sur closed. San Francisco saw only an inch (2.5 centimeters) of rain but Venado in Sonoma County got 5 inches (13 centimeters) over 24 hours. Rain and winds forced the cancellation of more than 140 flights at San Francisco International Airport.

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