Santa Cruz.- A storm from the Pacific brought strong winds, rain and snow to California, killing two amid forecasts of more flooding Wednesday in parts of the state.
Tuesday’s storm focused on central and southern California, bringing threats of swollen streams and snow melt from the mountains. To the north, hail was reported in Sacramento, the state capital.
Heavy rain and melting snow could cause flooding Wednesday in southern California and central Arizona, the National Weather Center warned. On Tuesday, authorities asked residents of northern and central Arizona to prepare to evacuate due to rising waters in rivers and reservoirs.
Trees and power lines fell in the San Francisco Bay area. An Amtrak train carrying 55 passengers hit a downed tree and derailed in the village of Porta Costa. The train remained upright and no one was hurt, firefighters and Amtrak officials said.
In the Portola Valley community, a man driving a sewer truck was killed when a tree fell on him, the California Highway Patrol reported. And in the Rossmoor community, a driver was injured and a passenger was killed when a tree fell on top of their vehicle, Contra Costa County fire officials said.
In Monterey Bay, winds of up to 80 miles per hour (129 kilometers per hour) were blowing. On the shoreline of the Monterey Bay Sea Refuge, sea spray filled the streets like flakes of snow.
Wind gusts reached 76 mph (122 km/h) in Santa Cruz mountain communities, including Boulder Creek.
Frank Kuhr, a local resident, waited for hours in a supermarket Tuesday afternoon for authorities to clear huge tree trunks blocking a road.
“There are tree trunks everywhere,” Kuhr said. “The wind is incredible. Branches were flying through the air and you could hear the trees fall and break.”
