LOS ANGELES (AP) — An atmospheric river storm is pumping drenching rains into the heart of California as blizzard conditions bury the Sierra Nevada in snow.
The storm is aimed like a massive firehose at the central coast, where rainfall as of early Thursday exceeds 12 inches in San Luis Obispo County. Across the state in the Eastern Sierra, the Mammoth Mountain ski resort is reporting 6.3 feet of new snow on its summit so far.
Monterey County authorities have issued an evacuation order for homes near the rising Carmel River.
The storm is expected to begin dropping down into Southern California, bringing threats of debris flows, mudslides and flash floods to areas near wildfire burn scars.
