GILROY
– It was a grey Christmas in Gilroy and much of California as a
powerful winter storm crossed the state, bringing mudslides in the
south and dumping snow in the Sierra.
GILROY – It was a grey Christmas in Gilroy and much of California as a powerful winter storm crossed the state, bringing mudslides in the south and dumping snow in the Sierra.
From 4 p.m. Wednesday to 4 p.m. Thursday, Gilroy received 1.11 inches of rain. The National Weather Service called it “a healthy amount.” A year-to-date total of rainfall was unavailable.
Although the skies cleared late Christmas Day and should remain clear through Saturday, more wet weather is expected by the end of the weekend.
“Tomorrow looks dry, pretty much mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the low 50s,” said Ryan Walbrun, a meteorologist with the weather service. “There will be another pretty strong storm Sunday.”
The rain is expected to pick up again late Sunday afternoon and stay in the area through Monday, Walbrun said.
The cold temperatures Thursday night and into Friday morning are also expected to continue through the weekend, with overnight lows in the 30s.
Water levels at both Anderson and Coyote Reservoirs are still fairly low, although they should come up in the next few days.
In Southern California, rescue crews slogged past fallen trees and boulders in a search for at least 10 people believed to be trapped when a mudslide triggered by heavy rains swept through forested foothills recently scorched by wildfire. More than a dozen others were rescued.
Traveling by foot because a road bridge was washed out, one team climbed up the steep terrain Friday and another descended it in an effort to reach the adults and children at Saint Sophia Camp in Waterman Canyon, just north of San Bernardino.
Rescue teams were unable to reach the camp overnight due to deep mud covering the slick, steep and rocky ground, said county Fire Marshal Peter Brierty. Rescuers planned to try to reach the area with helicopters Friday but it was unclear whether they would be able to land in the confines of the canyon, he said.
Fourteen other people staying at the Greek Orthodox youth camp had been rescued by late Thursday, and 10 victims covered in mud were treated at a hospital for minor injuries, authorities said.
The storm dumped more than 3 inches of rain on areas heavily scarred by wildfires, flooding streets in San Bernardino and elsewhere, cutting power and causing mudslides. The blazes in October and November, the most severe in state history, burned off vegetation that normally would help shore up the steep terrain, leaving the ground prone to mudslides.
By nightfall Thursday, rain had turned to snow across much of the valley regions of northern Nevada, including the Reno-Carson City area, causing slick roadways. Many areas reported 2-3 inches.
Chains or snow tires were required on most roads in the northern half of the state, from north of Reno to Tonopah, and the Sierra to the Nevada-Utah line.
A snow advisory was in effect for the Lake Tahoe area through Thursday night.
The National Weather Service said snow or a chance of snow would remain in the forecast throughout much of the region through the weekend.
The heavy snow was welcomed by Tahoe ski resorts as they braced for the busy holiday ski season through New Year’s day.
AP contributed to this report.
