California nightmare: Mudslides, floods, snow

California will see one more day of wild weather Thursday before a calmer pattern settles in.

The National Weather Service had issued a slew of weather warnings and alerts throughout the state by late Wednesday. High winds, rough surf, floods, mudslides, heavy snow, avalanches and blizzards were forecast.

On Wednesday, a mudslide on a freeway near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge snarled morning traffic. Crashes were also reported in Southern California, one of which injured 35 people.

A day earlier, an accident on a rainslicked road in Placerville, 130 miles east of San Francisco, killed three people.

The weather service issued a flood watch for the northern California county where a wildfire destroyed more than 13,000 homes last year as the state braced for a powerful storm that could trigger deadly mudslides.

“A powerful Pacific storm will hammer the West Coast into Friday with strong winds, heavy rain and heavy mountain snow,” the weather service warned. “Heavy rain will bring a threat of flash flooding along recent burn scars while blizzard conditions are expected in the Sierras.”

The state’s Central Valley can expect 1-2 inches of rain, and the foothills could get 2-4 inches. Northern Shasta County and eastern Butte County, home to the fire-ravaged city of Paradise, could see up to 7 inches of rain, the weather service said.

Flash flood and high wind watches went into effect by Wednesday afternoon in the Sacramento and San Francisco areas.

“Mudslides or debris flows over recent burn scar areas are possible,” the weather service said.

Mike Reisbord, who has a home in the Broad Beach neighborhood of Malibu, collects sandbags at Zuma Beach on Tuesday. USA TODAY NETWORK