LOS ANGELES (AP) — California was lashed Friday by heavy rains that the parched state so desperately needs, though with the soaking came traffic snarls, power outages and the threat of mudslides.
Even with rainfall totals exceeding six inches in some places by midday, the powerful Pacific storm did not put a major dent in a drought that is among the worst in recent California history.
The first wave of the storm doused foothill communities east of Los Angeles that just weeks ago were threatened by a wildfire — and now faced the threat of mudslides. Small debris flows covered one Glendora street but no property damage occurred, police said. Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for about 1,200 homes in the area.
Forecasts called for the storm to last through Saturday in California before trundling east into similarly parched neighboring states. Phoenix was expecting its first noticeable precipitation in two months.
In Los Angeles, rising water forced police to close major roads crossing the Sepulveda Basin. The flood-control area for the Los Angeles River on the San Fernando Valley floor is maintained as a wildlife refuge and recreation center but is otherwise kept clear of development.
A Fire Department swiftwater team rescued two men and two dogs from a perch on a tree trunk in the fast-moving Los Angeles River.
Power outages hit about 24,000 customers, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Southern California Edison said.
Rain was also falling in the central coast counties, in the San Francisco Bay region and in the Central Valley. Winter storm warnings were in effect in the Sierra Nevada for heavy snowfall.
Around San Francisco Bay, the storm led to an urban and small stream flood warning, as rain in excess of a half-inch an hour moved in, according to the National Weather Service. Wet roadways and crashes slowed the morning commute, and there were isolated power outages.
