State of Emergency

CA Braces for Worsening Storm

Lightning, tornadoes, high winds, a foot of snow expected.

California is bracing for what’s expected to be the worst of several storms that have hit the state in the last week. Forecasters are saying the collision of cold air from the Gulf of Alaska with subtropical moisture from the western Pacific Ocean could result in lightning, waterspouts, small tornadoes, torrential rains, and high winds. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in several counties, and 232 residents were evacuated from suburbs at the feet of the San Gabriel Mountains, where rain threatened to send debris down the mountains’ fire-scarred slopes. The good news: A foot of snow is expected on ski slopes.