Winter storm brings rain, snow and flood fears to California

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A major winter storm is pounding California, bringing rain and snow to the drought-stricken state along with possible flash flooding in areas recently scarred by wildfires. The storm is predicted to last into midweek. It arrived Monday, bringing hopes that the precipitation could blunt an already moderate wildfire season in California. But the rain posed its own problems on Tuesday. There are mandatory evacuation orders for burn scar areas in Southern California, while parts of Northern California are under a flash flood watch. Meteorologists expect between 1 and 3 inches of rainfall through Wednesday in the Los Angeles area’s coast and valleys. The foothills and mountains could see up to 5 inches.