California gets more rain and snow from latest major storm

LOS ANGELES - Rain-soaked California got even wetter Monday as another storm dumped heavy snow in the mountains, eroded beaches and shut down a 40-mile stretch of the state's major north-south highway.

Roadway flooding turned Southern California's morning commute into a white-knuckle obstacle course, while the mountain peaks above metropolitan Los Angeles were capped with white.

About 2 feet of snow fell in the Tejon Pass north of Los Angeles, stranding some drivers and shutting down a section of Interstate 5. It was not clear when the pass would reopen.

"It's pretty slippery," Ravinder Singh told KTLA-TV. "We didn't know it was going to be snowing. We're kind of stuck."

The storm swamped Beverly Hills and Malibu, which received 2 inches and 3 1/2 inches of rain, respectively, the NWS said Monday.

One man died in the San Fernando Valley when his car went off a road and slammed into a palm tree and another man was killed in Pomona when he tried to run across the San Bernardino Freeway and was struck by two vehicles.

In Goleta, near Santa Barbara, surging high tides washed away tons of sand deposited last year as part of a $2 million preservation project. Most of the 80,000 cubic yards of sand used at the beach to help curb erosion has been swept away, leaving a jagged wall of sand and dirt, forcing officials to close part of the coastline as a safety precaution.

California has been battered over the past week by storms that have caused widespread street flooding and provided enough snow to keep skiers happy. More storms are expected later in the week.

Although the ground has been saturated, there were no reports of major mudslides or other problems in parts of Southern California that were devastated by wildfires in 2003.

Average yearly rainfall totals, measured from July 1 to June 30, have already been surpassed in some areas. Los Angeles has received 15.4 inches of rain since July 1, compared to a yearly average of 14.7 inches, the National Weather Service reported. Last year's rainy season brought 9.2 inches to Los Angeles.

The city also recorded the single wettest day in December last Tuesday when 5 1/2 inches fell. It also marked the third wettest day on record since 1921.

San Francisco has received 13.8 inches since July 1, compared to an average of 8.3 inches for the second half of the year.

Single day records have either been threatened or broken in some California cities over the past couple of months. Rain totals are well ahead of last year's figures but forecasters said the drenching will likely not mark an end to the state's long-term drought.

"It certainly provides some relief, but a drought is a multiyear problem," said Dan Keeton, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "One year of good rain doesn't mean a full recovery."

The latest storm swept through Northern California on Sunday, delaying about half of the flights arriving at San Francisco International Airport and intermittently closing two main routes across the Sierra Nevada. Both were opened Monday morning.

Some ski resorts in the Lake Tahoe area reported as much as 9 feet of snow since late last week. Since Oct. 1, the Central Sierra Snow Laboratory has measured more than 16 feet of snow near Donner Summit in the northern Sierra.

"This certainly is the most significant series of storms that I've experienced here. It's pretty much been nonstop," said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Jon Dietrich.

In Nevada, crews struggled for a fourth day to clear roads and remove mountains of piled snow left by a storm that dumped up to 4 feet of snow in some areas around Reno. Washoe County schools were closed because many residential streets had not been plowed, making it unsafe for buses.

The storms have been caused by an extensive low pressure system that edged down from the Gulf of Alaska and remained parked off the Pacific Northwest. The latest front was expected to linger through Tuesday in Southern California before another system moves over the state later this week.