Fire Truck Plunges Into Crater As Storms Annihilate Southern California Roads

The plume of moisture stretching far out over the Pacific was expected to arrive early Friday and last through the day and into Saturday.

The National Weather Service in Reno issued a winter weather advisory Friday through 10 a.m. Saturday throughout the region north and south of Tahoe. High wind warnings were issued for mountains and valleys, which could see gusts to 70 miles per hour.

A storm this strong, at such a low latitude, is rare for California, the Weather Service’s San Diego forecast office said. More flooding, mudslides and avalanches are expected, as well as another round of flooding in the north. The National Weather Service said the storm could end up being the strongest one to hit Southern California in two decades.

As the heavy rains drenched the area, Duarte, a city northeast of Los Angeles, issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents of 200 homes.

Several power lines were downed by the powerful winds, including some along a heavily circulated stretch of Sepulveda Boulevard that came crashing down on a vehicle. The driver was electrocuted, Los Angeles police said.

Thousands of Los Angeles County residents remained without power early Saturday, while road crews scrambled to fix sinkholes throughout the area, including one in Studio City that swallowed two vehicles Friday night. But she said company officials suspect the vast majority are related to Friday’s storm, with at least one small incident in Long Beach attributed to the winds. Travel delays are also likely due to reduced visibilities and slick roads with water ponding on some roadways.

In Southern California, a mudslide has shut down northbound Highway 101 near Ventura.

Hundreds of trees and dozens of power lines had toppled in the Los Angeles area and at one point more than 60,000 city power customers were without electricity.

That was not the case in Victorville, where cars were caught in roaring flood waters Friday night. However, some truck drivers chose to take advantage of their large vehicles and high clearance and waded through waters that nearly rose to their vehicle’s hoods at times.

They were discovered when a fire service helicopter tried to rescue those gripping to their cars for safety as their vehicles were washed down one of the town’s flooded streets. The flood watch will remain in effect through Saturday morning.

The biggest storm to hit to Southern California in years began Friday by ripping trees off the ground, flooding streets and roads, and swelling beaches in dramatic imagery that is fairly foreign to its residents. Don’t attempt to cross swift moving water; as little as two feet of rushing water can sweep a vehicle away.

Travel was made hard or impossible as police warned residents to remain off the roads and hundreds of flights from local airports were delayed or canceled.