Storm hits California, evacuations ordered

Mudslide warnings for same coastal areas devastated in January

LOS ANGELES — A major winter storm swept south through California on Thursday, bringing heavy snow and strong winds to mountains and steady rain elsewhere, while prompting mandatory evacuations for coastal areas to the south that were devastated by deadly mudslides in January.

As many as 30,000 people were ordered to leave an area of Santa Barbara County before the storm arrived early Friday.

Sheriff Bill Brown said forecasters weren’t certain how intense the storm would be when it arrives in Southern California. However, modeling indicates “there is a risk for dangerous flash flooding, mud and debris flows,” he warned.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Montecito resident Harriet Mosson said.

The 76-year-old said the threestory condo building where she lives was not damaged in January because it’s on the ocean side of U.S. 101, which helped divert the mudslides that came down the mountains.

“Can it happen again? Yeah, I guess it can. Will it, now? I doubt it,” she said. “And if something terrible happens I’ll be able to get out of here.”

People cannot be forced to leave their homes under a mandatory evacuation order, but authorities said they should not be expected to be rescued while the storm event is occurring.

To the north, a blizzard warning was issued for parts of the Sierra Nevada, where winds could gust up to 125 mph (200 kph) on ridges and 60 mph (95 kph) in some valleys, the National Weather Service said.

The cold front is expected to bring snow to foothill areas as low as 3,500 feet (1,066 meters), and officials warned people to stay off mountain roads.

The California Department of Transportation said a 90-mile stretch of Interstate 80 was closed due to whiteout conditions.

Chains or snow tires were needed on stretches of Interstate 80, U.S. 50 and U.S. 395. Dozens of collisions were reported on San Francisco Bay Area highways.

Northern mountains were expected to receive as much as 5 feet of snow and reach 7 feet in some areas.

NORTHSTAR CALIFORNIA A snowboarder and pair of skiers make their way through gusts of wind to a lift Thursday at the Northstar California resort in Truckee, Calif., as a major winter storm moved across the region.