At least 4 reported dead in California storms

Sunshine and rainbows alternated with thunderclaps, downpours, snow and hail as the last in a trio of storms broke up over California after flooding roads and homes and trapping people in swamped vehicles.

At least four people died, three were missing and others were rescued from raging floodwaters during the storms.

Anguished relatives gathered along a creek in Alameda County southeast of San Francisco as searchers looked for an 18-year-old woman whose car plunged into the rushing waterway after a collision late Saturday.

Two other people remained missing after being reported in waters off Pebble Beach on Saturday. The search along the Monterey Peninsula was suspended.
 

In Los Angeles, receding stormwater revealed a body in dense vegetation at a regional park in the Harbor City area. The cause of death was not known, but the Fire Department said the body may be that of a man reported missing Sunday night.

The powerful weekend tempest added to impressive amounts of precipitation that have suddenly arrived in a state after years of withering drought.

By afternoon, downtown Los Angeles had recorded 14.3 inches of rain since the start of the water year on October 1, less than a half-inch away from the average for the entire season.

Heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada triggered an avalanche that shut down a highway just west of Lake Tahoe. Officials warned of continuing avalanche danger at all elevations of the Sierra. In northern Nevada, schools were canceled after more than a half-foot of snow fell near Reno.

Flood watches and warnings remained in place for much of Southern California, a day after nearly 4 inches of rain fell south of Los Angeles, inundating roadways, toppling trees and raising fears of damaging mudslides.

Low-elevation snow dusted rural communities just north of Los Angeles while resort communities to the east in the San Bernardino Mountains were digging out from more heavy snow. Many schools in the inland region closed for the day.