SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (AP) - The arrival of a vigorous storm system has California foothill residents bracing for possible mud and debris flows from hillsides ravaged by wildfires in recent months.
Sandbagging and other preparations were being made in neighborhoods under threat, including Santa Barbara County and the Los Angeles-area foothills. The rains began before dawn across much of the state but were expected to intensify in the evening and into tomorrow.
People living around burn areas near the 250-square-mile Station Fire in Angeles National Forest were warned to brace for possible flows of mud, ash and debris with rainfall of up to 4 inches. Los Angeles County's average rainfall for October is less than half an inch.
The Pacific storm was expected to drop 3 to 6 inches of rain in Santa Barbara County, where an 8,700-acre fire burned in May, before it moves on to the San Gabriel Mountains, where the U.S. Geological Survey recently warned of massive debris flows near the areas burned in September.
In Northern California, forecasters issued high wind warnings for the mountains, where gusts up to 60 mph are expected, and advisories for lower elevations, where gusts are expected to reach 50 mph.
Some areas in Marin and Santa Cruz counties were deluged by more than 3 inches of rain since the storm swept in overnight.
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