Residents in parts of California have been told to brace themselves for a potentially life-threatening blizzard. The National Weather Service said the severe winter storm which has been hammering the West coast is expected to continue through to the end of the week. Forecasters said very heavy snow is expected to hit the Sierra Nevada area, such as the Lassen Volcanic National Park, and also the mountains of northern California, including higher elevations of Western Plumas County. Read more: California braces for winter storms bringing snow, flooding and mudslides A blizzard warning has been put in effect for areas above 6,500 feet for Thursday morning (January 17). Heavy snowfall is also forecast in areas above 5,500 feet, with as much as six feet of snow expected to fall in some of the higher areas. "In addition to the heavy snow, heavy rain will also fall across the lower elevations, with most of it happening through Thursday evening," The National Weather Service said in a forecast. The blizzard warning is only the fifth issued for the Sierra Nevada area in the past 10 years. Experts are warning those in affected areas to avoid travel if possible as the unsettled weather could result in people being stuck in their vehicles for a long period of time. "If you must travel, prepare for long delays and carry an emergency kit with extra food, water and clothing. If you stay home, have a backup plan in case of power outages," a National Weather Service spokesperson said. "This is a life-threatening situation, especially in the higher elevations. Road crews and first responders may not be able to rescue you. Stay indoors until the snow and wind subside. Even a short walk could be deadly if you become disoriented." Elsewhere, the Sierra Avalanche Center has issued a Backcountry Avalanche Warning for the areas around Lake Tahoe until Friday morning. The main affected areas are the Central Sierra Nevada mountains between Yuba Pass (Highway 49) on the north and Ebbetts Pass (Highway 4) on the south. "Blizzard conditions and existing weak layers in the snowpack have created very dangerous and complex avalanche conditions," the center said in a statement. "Expect widespread, large, and destructive avalanche activity in the mountains. Natural avalanches are likely and human-triggered avalanches are very likely." The center adds that "very dangerous" avalanche conditions are expected across all terrains and travel in any area is not recommended.<doc-sep>LOS ANGELES — Another Pacific storm was set to hit California on Wednesday, bringing a threat of mudslides to the site of the deadliest wildfire in state history and a rare blizzard warning in the Sierra Nevada. An evacuation warning was in place into Thursday morning for Pulga, a canyon community in Northern California. Its neighbor, the town of Paradise, was virtually incinerated two months ago by the Camp Fire that killed 86 people and destroyed nearly 15,000 homes. The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for the county beginning late Wednesday afternoon. “If flooding occurs, this can quickly become a dangerous and life-threatening situation,” the Butte County Sheriff’s Office warned. The north could see the strongest storm of the year with heavy rain in the San Francisco Bay Area leading to a widespread flash flood watch beginning in the afternoon. Flood and high wind watches were scheduled for the Sacramento area, with the weather service warning that gusts could lead to power outages, downed trees and tough driving conditions. A blizzard warning for much of the Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe was set to go into effect Wednesday night, with meteorologists predicting as much of 5 feet of snow in upper elevations and wind gusts of up to 100 mph on ridgetops. Dangerous and potentially life-threatening conditions were expected at elevations above 7,000 feet (2,133 meters), with high avalanche danger throughout the region. A week of storms has left authorities concerned about the potential danger for thousands of people living in foothill and canyon areas devastated by last year’s wildfires. Immense areas of the state were razed by wind-whipped flames, leaving hillsides bare of vegetation that could stabilize soil and prevent mudslides. Several thousand people heeded a mandatory evacuation order in Santa Barbara County on the Central Coast, where last year a sudden debris flow swept through Montecito, killing 23 people and destroying 100 homes. Daphne Moore was among the evacuees. “It’s a complete drag but it’s better than dying in a mud debris flow,” she told KNBC-TV. However, the rain that fell Tuesday wasn’t heavy enough to cause disaster and the county lifted the order Tuesday evening. More rain was expected Wednesday but not enough to be a serious threat, officials said. Some mandatory evacuations remained in the Malibu area of Los Angeles County and voluntary evacuations were in place for some parts of Ventura County. Both were affected by November’s Woolsey Fire that destroyed more than 1,500 homes and killed four people. In the community of Bell Canyon in Ventura County, Paul Manion was busy filling sandbags. “It’s something we have to do. I mean, if the water comes, it comes,” Manion told KABC-TV. “Everything around our house burned. All the houses around our house burned. But it’s the hillsides that we’re worried about.” Others refused to leave. In Malibu, sheriff’s deputies armed with clipboards went door to door at the high-risk Paradise Cove mobile home park. Julie Sturgess signed a declaration that she wouldn’t evacuate. “I have lived here since 1971, and there has been a lot of rain over the years,” she told the Los Angeles Times. Beaver Valenzuela told KABC-TV that he’s survived fiercer storms and wouldn’t leave until he was convinced there was more immediate danger. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said.<doc-sep>LOS ANGELES — A year after a mudslide swept through a fire-devastated California town, killing 21 people, residents of hundreds of homes in burn areas were told to pack up and leave as a Pacific storm threatened potential catastrophe. In Riverside County east of Los Angeles, mandatory evacuations were ordered Monday for a dozen areas around the Holy Fire, which swept through an enormous swath of the Cleveland National Forest and surrounding areas last August. “People in these zones MUST GO NOW. Rainstorms carry the potential for dangerous debris flows that can send mud, boulders and trees crashing down hillsides” with little or no warning, a county statement said. The evacuation was later downgraded to voluntary, but authorities urged people to stay alert because of continuing rain forecasts. In Santa Barbara County on the central coast, evacuation orders were set to take effect at 10 a.m. Tuesday for areas hit by the Sherpa, Whittier and Thomas fires. “Gather family members, pets, and essential items,” a county statement said. A debris flow could also make roads impassable and strand people near the evacuation areas, especially in Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria, the county warned. After a devastating fire that burned and destabilized foothills, Montecito was hit by a powerful storm on Jan. 9, 2018, that sent water, mud and boulders sluicing down creeks and canyons. Twenty-three people died and over 100 homes were destroyed. Weather forecasters have predicted a series of storms that could continue to bring rain and snow into the middle of the week. Flash flood watches were issued by the National Weather Service for burn areas in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, which could see as much as an inch of rain per hour from Tuesday afternoon into the evening. 6.71 trillion gallons inbound to California through Thursday afternoon NDFD precip estimate #CAwx pic.twitter.com/gWqjuYiVL3 — Rob Mayeda (@RobMayeda) January 15, 2019 All schools in Malibu were closed Tuesday. Flooding and debris flows were a threat to hundreds of homes in areas below foothills and canyons that were swept by flames in recent years. Los Angeles County authorities issued evacuation orders beginning Tuesday morning for some areas of the Woolsey Fire. The blaze that broke out in November destroyed more than 1,500 homes and other buildings from Ventura County to Malibu and killed four people. On Monday, the first in the series of storms dumped an inch of rain in Los Angeles and snow in the mountains. Rain closed the Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement parks. In San Diego County, a 20-foot-long, 20-foot-deep sinkhole on an Interstate 805 off-ramp near Serra Mesa. A mudslide closed a 4.4-mile section of section of Pacific Coast Highway just north of Malibu on Monday for several hours. In Encino, in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, a guest house was pushed off its foundation by a 250-foot-long debris flow from a hillside. No one was hurt but the Fire Department said up to a dozen other homes were in the slide zone. Ice and blowing snow shut down the Grapevine, a high pass on Interstate 5, a major route connecting Los Angeles with San Francisco. Dozens of cars and trucks were stranded before the road reopened after nightfall.<doc-sep>
LOS ANGELES -- A Pacific storm that brought fears of dangerous mudslides and a rare blizzard warning in the Sierra Nevada was less fierce than expected but hundreds of homes in fire-scarred California areas remained under evacuation orders as more rain was expected. "Please heed disaster messages and prepare to leave immediately," officials in Ventura County northwest of Los Angeles warned residents. "We don't want anyone in harm's way. "By nightfall, there were few signs of damage, but evacuations remained in effect for more than a half dozen areas of Ventura and Los Angeles counties affected by last year's Woolsey Fire. The blaze that broke out in November destroyed more than 1,500 homes and other buildings from Ventura County to Malibu and killed four people.All schools in Malibu were closed Tuesday.In the gated community of Bell Canyon in Ventura County, Paul Manion was busy filling sandbags in case denuded hillsides sent debris sweeping down. "It's something we have to do. I mean, if the water comes, it comes," Manion told KABC-TV. "Everything around our house burned. All the houses around our house burned. But it's the hillsides that we're worried about. "Several thousand people heeded a mandatory evacuation order in Santa Barbara County on the Central Coast, where last year a sudden debris flow swept through Montecito, killing 23 people and destroying 100 homes.Daphne Moore was among the evacuees. "It's a complete drag but it's better than dying in a mud debris flow," she told KNBC-TV.However, the rain that fell Tuesday wasn't heavy enough to cause disaster and the county lifted the orders as of 6 p.m.More rain was expected Wednesday but not enough to be a serious threat, officials said.An evacuation warning was scheduled to take effect Tuesday night and continue into Thursday morning in Butte County, site of the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in US history.The Camp Fire destroyed nearly 15,000 structures and killed 86 people in November.The evacuation warning is for the community of Pulga, a canyon community near the town of Paradise, which was virtually incinerated by the blaze.Meanwhile, a blizzard warning for much of the Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe was set to go into effect Wednesday night, with meteorologists predicting as much of 5 feet (1.5 meters) of snow in upper elevations.Dangerous and potentially life-threatening blizzard conditions were expected at elevations above 7,000 feet (2,133 meters), with high avalanche danger throughout the region.Weather forecasters have predicted a series of storms that could keep bringing rain and snow through the middle of the week.The first in the series of storms dumped an inch of rain in Los Angeles and snow in the mountains Monday. Rain closed the Knott's Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement parks.In San Diego County, a 20-foot-long (6-meter-long), 20-foot-deep sinkhole developed on an Interstate 805 off-ramp near Serra Mesa.A mudslide closed a 4.4-mile (7-kilometer) section of Pacific Coast Highway just north of Malibu on Monday for several hours.In Encino, in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, a 250-foot-long (76-meter) debris flow from a hillside pushed a guest house off its foundation. No one was hurt.Ice and blowing snow also shut down a major route connecting Los Angeles with San Francisco. Dozens of cars and trucks were stranded for hours before the Grapevine, a high pass on Interstate 5, reopened after nightfall.