San Francisco: Winter’s run of snow and rain goes another round with the West as the first in a series of storms soaks much of California and icy conditions close schools in Oregon despite a thaw in some areas. Californians yesterday saw snarling commutes, downed trees and heavy snow in the mountains.
Up to 3 inches of rain was expected in parts of the San Francisco Bay Area while in Southern California’s Santa Monica Mountains, rain was falling at rates of up to a half-inch per hour. A rockslide closed canyon roads near Malibu. The Hollywood Reservoir got almost three-quarters of an inch rain, Curt Kaplan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service said.
Flood advisories and watches are posted on the far north coast and winter storm warnings are in place across the Sierra Nevada.
The National Weather Service in San Diego warns that five-day rainfall totals will likely be substantial and that mud and debris flows could occur as heavy rains fell on wildfire burn scars east of Los Angeles.
Commuters in greater Los Angeles were urged to slow down as freeway lanes and local roads flooded. A big rig collision shut down truck lanes on southbound Interstate 5 in northern LA County.
The road woes were felt to the north in Oregon. A 45-mile stretch of Interstate 84 between Troutdale and Hood River remained closed because of ice.
The temperature in Hood River was expected to climb to slightly above freezing today, melting some of the ice that has turned the highway into a skating rink. But it’s a slow process.
With snow and ice hanging around the area, schools were closed in several districts yesterday, as well as some state agency offices.
