Storms Hit So Cal Hard

Mother Nature hasn´t been following the usual script for normally sunny Southern California. A freak storm pummeled the area with up to five inches of rain and hail. It hit during the evening rush hour, leaving thousands of residents without power.

Fast-flowing water swept trash and other debris to the doorsteps of homes and stores. Hail was still on the ground early today in hard-hit areas including Watts and the neighboring communities of South Gate and Compton.

At least one school flooded by the storm is closed.

A small mudslide covers part of Highway 18 near Rimforest in the San Bernardino Mountains, but the road remains open and no more serious slides are reported. Mudslides had been feared in mountain and hillside areas cleared of vegetation by wildfires that raged through the region some two weeks ago.