Storm brings power outages to California

SAN FRANCISCO -- Utility crews restored power to thousands of people Monday and mopped up the damage from a winter storm that swept through Northern California, as they braced for more stormy weather later this week.

A new wet system is expected in the region tonight, but it won't be as intense. However, two more powerful storms are expected over the weekend, National Weather Service forecaster Emily Heller said.

Strong winds and downed trees knocked out electricity for nearly 90,000 customers across the Sacramento region Sunday night. Toppled utility poles and trees prompted the temporary closure of a major highway.

By Monday afternoon, about 3,000 customers were still without power, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District said.

In Oregon and Washington, tens of thousands of people remained without power after windstorms struck parts of the northwest over the weekend.

Interstate 80 from Placer County in California to the state line with Nevada reopened Monday but it remained closed in Nevada's Washoe County, the California Transportation Department said.

Officials shut down the highway Sunday after the snowstorm reached the Lake Tahoe area as weekend visitors were leaving.

The National Weather Service on Monday issued a winter storm warning for areas in the Sierra Nevada above 4,000 feet, saying snowy and gusty conditions will limit visibility.

Over three days, 4.5 feet of snow accumulated at the summit of Mammoth Mountain, 150 miles south of Tahoe, the resort said Monday. More than a foot fell in the upper elevations around Tahoe, including 19 inches at Squaw Valley.

Up to 5 inches of rain fell in some Northern California coastal and valley areas, while mountain communities got heavy snow.

In Southern California, light to moderate rain fell early Monday as a second system followed heavy Saturday night downpours that unleashed massive mud flows from the fire-scarred Santa Monica Mountains onto Pacific Coast Highway.

Cleanup work kept about 13 miles of the scenic highway closed from western Malibu to Ventura County.

While the latest rain was modest, powerful winds swept the Antelope Valley north of Los Angeles early Monday because of a so-called mountain wave -- southwesterly winds rising up and over the San Gabriel Mountains and then plunging down into the high desert. The National Weather Service said a 78 mph gust was recorded at Lake Palmdale.

In the northwest, about 30,000 Puget Sound Energy customers in Oregon and Washington remained without power Monday afternoon.

Crews had restored power to 288,000 customers since the height of the storm. Seattle City Light had approximately 1,000 customers without power as of Monday morning, the utility said on Twitter.

In Oregon the lights were back on for most people.

The storm caused Alaska Airlines to ground all its flights between 4:20 a.m. and 5:15 a.m. Sunday after a power outage in the Seattle area, where its operations are based. Twenty seven flights were delayed and five were canceled.

The National Weather Service reported winds included gusts of more than 60 mph at the storm's peak Saturday night and early Sunday morning.