| Post-Bulletin | - |
This
image provided by the San Bernardino County Fire Department shows a
traffic accident in the San Bernardino Mountains in California.
Powerful storm system blasts US West; 4 killed
This image provided by the San Bernardino County Fire
Department shows a traffic accident in the San Bernardino Mountains in
California. The rain throughout the West led to flooding in San
Bernardino County, where five homeless people were trapped by water and
had to be rescued from the Santa Ana River, fire officials told the San
Bernardino County Sun. (AP Photo/San Bernardino County Fire Department)
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Posted: Saturday, November 23, 2013 9:22 am
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Updated: 10:02 am, Sat Nov 23, 2013.
The Western U.S. has been drenched by a powerful storm system that blasted several states and has led to four deaths.
The fierce weather has prompted flooding and water rescues in California, stranded dozens of drivers in Nevada, caused hundreds of crashes among desert dwellers in Arizona and brought snow to northern New Mexico.
The fierce weather has prompted flooding and water rescues in California, stranded dozens of drivers in Nevada, caused hundreds of crashes among desert dwellers in Arizona and brought snow to northern New Mexico.
The system was expected
to head east and reach the Atlantic coast by the middle of next week,
but not before hitting the Southwest again with rain, snow and wind,
forecasters said.
In California, the storms
were linked to three deaths. In Oakland, one person was found dead near
downed power lines and another crashed his vehicle into a tree while
apparently trying to avoid debris in the road, news reports and
officials said. Also, a 52-year-old woman died in Yuba County, north of
Sacramento, when a tree fell on the parked car in which she was sitting.
In Southern California, a
homeless man had to be rescued from a tree by helicopter and four
others were plucked from an island after becoming trapped in the swollen
Santa Ana River in San Bernardino County.
In Nevada, snow in higher
elevations in rural, eastern Lincoln County stranded 50 to 60 cars
early Friday, dispatcher Shannon Miller said. No injuries were reported,
but U.S. 93 was closed south of Ely. Sheriff's dispatch said early
Saturday that the roadway had been reopened, but the office did not have
any information on the stranded cars.
In Arizona, firefighters
in Tucson on Friday recovered the body of a man who was swept away by
high water in the Santa Cruz River. Meanwhile, authorities across the
state responded to hundreds of vehicle crashes as the storm dropped rain
on typically dry roads.
A flood watch was in
effect until early Saturday in the Phoenix area, where several miles of
the Loop 303 freeway in the western suburbs were closed due to flooding.
The weather service said rain totals through Saturday morning could
exceed 2 inches in the Phoenix area.
The wet conditions
prompted the Arizona Interscholastic Association to push back high
school football playoff games set for Friday and Saturday. Officials
rescheduled the games to Monday "due to the weather conditions, field
conditions and safety of the players and fans attending the games."
In New Mexico, snow and
ice packed roads in the northern part of the state, but forecasters say
the latest storm is far from over. The National Weather Service in
Albuquerque said the brunt of the storm is expected to cross into New
Mexico on Saturday, bringing widespread snow through the rest of the
weekend, frigid temps and gusty winds.
In northern Utah,
transportation officials warned truck drivers of potential
trailer-toppling gusts. No accidents had been reported, but big rigs
pulled off to the side of the freeways to wait out the winds Friday
morning, Utah Highway Patrol officials told The Salt Lake Tribune.
Forecasters said parts of
both California and Arizona can also expect more severe weather with
winter storm warnings through midday Saturday in the mountains and the
Antelope Valley foothills northeast of Los Angeles. However, there's
only a small chance of rainstorms like those that prompted flooding in
California on Thursday.
At least one business in
thirsty southern Nevada was rejoicing over the storm system. Officials
at the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort north of Sin City measured 11
1/2 inches of snow at midday Friday, with a week to spare until opening
day.
___
Contributing to this
report were Associated Press writers Sudhin Thanawala in San Francisco,
Paul Davenport in Phoenix, and Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque.
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