Storm lashes California

2008-01-05 12:41

San Francisco - A powerful storm battered California on Friday leaving about 500 000 homes and businesses without power and threatening mudslides, flooding and huge snowfalls projected to last into next week.

Meteorologists said the storm could be the worst in the state for ten years with up to 25cm of rain expected to fall on Friday in some areas, winds gusting over 150km/h and over two to three metres of snow falling in the Sierra mountains.

Northern California was the first area to be hit. But by mid morning the storm was moving into southern California, where authorities were bracing for mudslides on hillsides denuded of vegetation in the fierce wildfires that swept through the region in late November.

The threat sent residents rushing to stack sandbags around their houses and stock up on last-minute provisions to see out the storm.

The US Forest Service and the National Weather Service issued an avalanche and blizzard advisory for the Cascade and Sierra Mountains, while the Coast Guard cautioned boaters to remain in port with swells up to 10m high.

"It's been several years since we've seen a storm this impressive," said Chris Jordan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada. - Sapa-dpa

- SAPA