New storm drops rain across soggy California

SAN FRANCISCO – A storm that unleashed rain on parts of Northern California already soggy from big downpours headed south in the first of a one-two punch of much-needed moisture this week.

An average of an inch to 2 inches of rain fell throughout Monday in the Bay Area and Sacramento regions before heading to Southern California overnight, the National Weather Service said.

A cold front is expected to bring rain and mountain snow Tuesday and Wednesday to Southern California before a second storm triggers more showers across California later in the week.

The rain came down hard in the San Francisco Bay Area on Monday morning, making for a treacherous commute. It led to minor road flooding, scattered power outages and a landslide that closed both directions of a highway in Fremont.

The Federal Aviation Administration reported delays of almost two hours for flights arriving at San Francisco International Airport.

In Butte County, a 4-mile section of Highway 162 shut down after getting flooded by swollen creeks and drainage channels. There is no estimated date to reopen due to continued rain, authorities said.

Yosemite National Park officials said the Tioga and Glacier Point Roads have closed for the season because of deep snow and icy conditions. A series of storms in the last few weeks have left up to 2 feet of snow in the higher part of the park, including Tuolumne Meadows and Glacier Point.

Still, Monday's storm and another weather system expected later in the week won't be nearly as powerful as the blast that dumped as much as 8 inches of rain in parts of Northern California last week and up to 6 feet of snow in the high elevations of the Sierra Nevada. That storm caused widespread flooding and power outages, including in downtown San Francisco.

And while the storms help, much more rain is needed to pull the state out of its severe drought, forecasters say.

The Sierra Nevada was expected to receive a few inches of snow at elevations above about 5,000 feet, a height that includes most ski resorts, said Eric Kurth, a meteorologist in the weather service's Sacramento office.

The second weather front is expected to dump yet more rain Wednesday in the Bay Area before bringing showers back to Southern California on Friday and Saturday, the weather service said.