Storms Hit West Coast Hard, Knock Out Power to Thousands

Ryan McVay/Digital Vision/Thinkstock(LOS ANGELES) — Storms slammed the west coast on Friday night into Saturday, with wind and rain causing power outages, mudslides and flooding.

In parts of southwest Oregon and northern California, Patrick Burke of the National Weather Service said more than 10 inches of rainfall had been recorded. Flood and flash flood watches and warnings were put into effect for northern parts of the west coast Friday. Saturday morning brought reports of mudslides in Brinnon, Washington.

“In terms of the drought,” Burke added, “any rain is welcome and it’s good news. The problem with this storm is that it’s a little bit too warm, so we’re not really adding to the snow pack in the Sierra [mountains], which is where California gets a lot of its water from and depends on that throughout the dry season.”

Thousands of utility customers in northern California were without power on Saturday afternoon, according to Pacific Gas & Electric’s website.

Also on Saturday, California Fire Public Information Officer Daniel Berlant told ABC News that a small fire near Swall Meadows in California is spread over 7,000 acres. The fire is not expected to grow due to the rain, but 250 residents have been evacuated — possibly able to return to their homes on Sunday — and the blaze is just 30 percent contained.

Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright © 2015, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.