Photos: Wind, mudslides slam West Coast triggering power outages, rescues
Nearly 100,000 power customers were in the dark in Clark County, Washington, on January 6, as severe storms knocked out the power.
A strong winter storm caused more than 300,000 power outages in Washington and triggered mudslides in Southern California this past weekend.
"A storm packing rain, heavy mountain snow and damaging winds pounded the West Coast of the United States from Saturday to early Sunday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff said.
Snow piled up across the Cascades, Sierras and into parts of the Rockies as localized downpours targeted the lower elevations of California.
Due to the storm, the Pacific Coast highway was closed in both directions between Las Posas Road and Encinal Canyon Road until Monday.
The most significant rain in a month fell in Los Angeles, where over half an inch of rain was reported in just six hours on Saturday night. Farther south, San Diego received nearly an inch.
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Heavy rain in the Los Angeles area prompted flood warnings and advisories from the National Weather Service. Just north of the city, several roads closed due to mudslides and flooding between Malibu and Oxnard.
A few cars were flooded in the mudslides and flooding; however, no deaths or injuries were reported.
In the Pacific Northwest, the storm was noted more for the strong winds it produced in the early morning hours of Sunday.
"A 60-mph wind gust was recorded at Seattle-Tacoma Airport, the strongest gust recorded at the airport since the Hanukkah Eve Storm in 2006," AccuWeather Meteorologist Faith Eherts said.
Another storm swept into Northern California late Sunday, unleashing flooding rainfall in the San Francisco Bay Area and high winds that caused tree damage and power outages.
Strong winds snapped branches early Sunday morning, Jan. 6, 2019, in Lakeland South, Washington. via Twitter/@MiltonWATech99
A fallen tree rests on a power line in Olympia, Washington, on Jan. 6, 2019. (Twitter/@alukomski24)
Tree branches litter a street in Olympia, Washington, during the early morning hours of Jan. 6, 2019. (Twitter/@alukomski24)
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