California saw little relief from drenching rains Tuesday as the latest in a relentless string of storms swamped roads, turned rivers into gushing flood zones and forced thousands of people to flee from towns with histories of deadly mudslides.
At least 14 people have died since last week.
The storm prompted a few tornado warnings early Tuesday and brought heavy snow to the Sierra Nevada a day after dumping up to 14 inches (36 centimeters) of rain at higher elevations in central and Southern California.
Miles of Sierra highways were subject to chain requirements and closures due to whiteout conditions, and avalanche warnings were posted in the backcountry.
The Eastern Sierra’s Mammoth Mountain ski resort reported 4.5 to 5.5 feet (1.4-1.7 meters) of snow, with more expected.
Reporting by Christopher Weber and Stefanie Dazio of the Associated Press.
Cars remain in a large sinkhole along Iverson Road in Chatsworth, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (David Crane/The Orange County Register via AP) A fire department vehicle drives through a flooded section of Highway 192 in Montecito, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu) Floodwaters inundated the Rio Del Mar neighborhood of Aptos, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Nic Coury) A resident keeps watch on Fredonia Drive in Studio City, Calif., where a mudslide is blocking the road during a rain on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (Sarah Reingewirtz /The Orange County Register via AP) Floodwaters inundated the Rio Del Mar neighborhood of Aptos, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Nic Coury) Brandon Ammon sweeps mud that washed through his garage after the San Lorenzo River overflowed in the Felton Grove neighborhood of Felton, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Nic Coury) Sandbags are viewed outside a home in Montecito, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu) Richard Shaffer surveys his fallen fence in the Felton Grove neighborhood after the San Lorenzo River overflowed in Felton, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Nic Coury) Firefighters clear away a fallen tree in Montecito, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu) Misha Acquistapace walks through the wet grass at Covered Bridge County Park in Felton, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Nic Coury) A top loader clears a mudslide from Coltraine road near the I-5 freeway in Santa Clarita Tuesday, January 10, 2023. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Rescue crews assist stranded residents in a flooded neighborhood in Merced, California on Tuesday, January 10, 2023. (Photo by Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images) Cars float in floodwaters in Merced, California on January 10, 2023. (Photo by Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images) Howard Burman looks at mud that washed through his garage after the San Lorenzo River overflowed in the Felton Grove neighborhood of Felton, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Nic Coury) Vehicles are stuck in a mudslide on both sides of Fredonia Drive in Studio City during the storm on Tuesday, January 10, 2023. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
