The new year could bring more mudslides to Northern California and damaging surf to Southern California.
The National Weather Service says a double whammy of weather fronts Friday and again Sunday could bring another six inches of rain to San Francisco Bay and areas farther north. That could mean more mudslides and more flooding. Rainstorms earlier in the week pushed Northern California rivers to their highest levels in seven years.
High surf advisories have been posted up and down the California coast. Fifteen-foot waves have chased away surfers and forced piers to shut down near Los Angeles. L.A. County authorities are stacking sandbags against waves that could top 20 feet.
The storms also pose a threat to Monday's Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. The last time the famous floral parade was rained on was 50 years ago.
Californians were able to take a dry breath as the rain let up temporarily following two days of heavy downpours which prompted evacuations, scattered power outages and flooded roads and parks.
In the heart of Sonoma County wine country, residents and visitors alike were surprised by what they'd seen. Mary Stuart, who co-owns Vintage Towers Bed and Breakfast in Cloverdale, says tourists are seeing "entire vineyards underwater." And she says it's the first time she's ever heard reports of water up to the top of the grapevines.
The first in what is expected to be a series of drenching winter storms prompted flood warnings and swelled Northern California rivers to their highest levels in seven years.
It's a mess that may have turned deadly. The NTSB is investigating what role the rain and snow played in a lear jet crash not far from Tahoe, Calif., reports CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes. The pilot and passenger died on impact.
In the San Francisco Bay area, the National Weather Service says as much as six inches of rain could fall on some areas of the North Bay between early tomorrow and Saturday morning.
Clean up also was under way after the latest in a series of storms dumped up to a foot of snow in the mountains of Washington state, reports Hughes. To the south, in Oregon, it was rain that was making the mess.
In Nevada, the first of a series of storms headed for the Sierra and northern Nevada fell a little short of predictions, but still blasted the area with wind, soaked the western valleys and brought out road controls in the Sierra.
After the rain changed to snow, 10 inches accumulated at the Mount Rose-Ski Tahoe resort. Alpine Meadows Ski Resort reported 24-34 inches of new snow since Christmas Day.
Warnings went into effect across the northern half of California after the first storm swept through Tuesday and Wednesday.
"The ground is going to be so saturated that any additional heavy rain on Friday and Friday night will allow those rivers to quickly rise and we could easily see additional flooding problems," National Weather Service forecaster Dwayne Dykeman told KCBS Radio.
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