Heavy rain headed to California

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A heavy rain storm headed to Southern California could bring mudslides and flooding.

Forecasters say the full force of the storm could be felt this morning, with rain falling up to an inch per hour. A 10-mile stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway is closed in Ventura County because of the likelihood of rock slides.

It's expected to bring widespread rain and snow to the drought-stricken state. But while the water is desperately needed, it's feared the heavy rain could trigger flooding and mud flows into communities near areas scarred by wildfire.

Officials have issued mandatory evacuation orders for about 1,000 homes in two of Los Angeles' eastern foothill suburbs. The cities of Glendora and Azusa issued the orders at midday Thursday for homes that could be endangered by debris flows from nearly 2,000 acres of steep mountain slopes burned by a wildfire last month. For days, both cities have been making extensive preparations including sandbagging and lining streets with k-rails.

California already received widespread rain Wednesday and Thursday.

Mean

while,  California's Department of Water Resources says its latest survey shows the Sierra Nevada snowpack is still well below normal — bad news for the drought-stricken state. The survey was made Thursday as the first of two back-to-back Pacific storms lightly blanketed the Sierra with fresh snow.

The department says manual and electronic readings show the snowpack's statewide water content at 24 percent of average for the date. The northern and central Sierra snowpack provides about a third of California's water supply.