A car sends hail stones flying as it drives through a sudden hail storm that passed through the area Monday, Feb. 26, 2018, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
February 27, 2018 - 9:48 PM
LOS ANGELES - The Latest on California storm warnings (all times local):
10 p.m.
Authorities are urging people to flee areas devastated by a deadly California mudslide because of a coming storm.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office says a recommended evacuation warning goes into effect at 8 a.m. Wednesday for Goleta, Santa Barbara, Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria.
Evacuations aren't mandatory but the Sheriff's Office says there's a "high risk" for loss of life and property.
Authorities say a storm coming in Thursday night is expected to rain heavily enough to cause mudslides in the fire-scarred foothill area where mudslides killed more than 20 people last month.
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3:02 p.m.
Snow fell across Southern California mountains and in the high desert Tuesday as the first of the week's two predicted storms moved through the region.
The cold and unstable storm arrived overnight with bouts of hail and rain, sometimes heavy, and left a coat of white on mountain ranges east of Los Angeles and southward through the interior of San Diego County.
The scene was a marked change from a season that had been generally warmer than normal with precipitation far below average.
"It's a winter wonderland out there this morning!" the San Diego area National Weather Service office tweeted.
Snowplows worked to clear roads, and chains were required on some routes. Students in some high-elevation school districts were given a snow day.
In terms of rain, Los Angeles County was a big winner with a quarter-inch (0.64 centimetre) to a half-inch (1.27 centimetre) overnight.
In Santa Barbara County, however, there was little rain on the wildfire-scarred mountains above Montecito, where crews are still cleaning up after a deluge unleashed devastating debris flows in January.
Another much wetter storm was expected to enter California from the north late Wednesday and reach the southern half of the state late Thursday.
Santa Barbara County said the "pre-evacuation advisory" it had already issued for residents of its south coast would remain in effect for the next storm.
News from © The Associated Press, 2018