California storms roll in, causing 1 death

A pair of wet winter storms swept through California before dawn Saturday, dumping snow in the Central Sierra and bringing rain to the parched Northern San Joaquin Valley.

At Yosemite National Park, officials reported Saturday that an employee died when strong winds uprooted a huge tree that fell on his tent cabin.

Park spokesman Scott Gediman said 27-year-old Ryan Hiller, of Chapel Hill, N.C., was killed Saturday by a branch from the tree. Hiller worked as a park ranger during busy periods, but had been working for the park concessionaire and stayed in the Yosemite Valley stable complex as he waited for the winter ski season.

Gediman said the storm brought heavy rain to the park and winds knocked down many large trees, but no other injuries were reported.

More wintry conditions are expected to hit the valley and mountains. The National Weather Service was predicting another storm will move into the region this morning and linger until Monday morning.

The heaviest rain in the valley and snow in the mountains were expected to occur tonight, according to the weather service. It's possible there will be some flooding on highways and travel delays because of tire-chain requirements or road closures.

Forecasters said it's possible for the valley to receive a half-inch to 1 inch of rain, while the foothills east of Modesto could get 1 to 2 inches of rain. Elevations above 6,000 feet could receive about 1 to 2 feet of snow.

What started as a steady drizzle Friday turned into heavy rain at times early Saturday in the Modesto area, accompanied by some strong winds.

But by early afternoon Saturday, the clouds had parted and sunshine returned to the valley. In Modesto, the storm left a few large puddles on streets and near intersections, but they dried quickly.

The Modesto Irrigation District pegged Saturday's rainfall total at 0.47 of an inch, in addition to the 0.36 of an inch received Friday, pushing the total for the season to 2.62 inches. The average rainfall for the entire season, which ends June 30, is 12.22 inches.

At the Dodge Ridge Ski Resort, officials said 6 inches of snow had fallen by Saturday afternoon, adding to 10 inches its slopes had received since Friday afternoon.

That gives Dodge Ridge 16 inches at the summit and 10 inches at the base. Still not enough to open, officials said on the resort's Web site late Saturday, but close. The ski area expects to get more snow from the new storm system moving into California.

Rain is likely for the San Francisco 49ers game against the New York Giants today, according to the weather service.

Much farther north, a coastal flood advisory was lifted at noon for areas around Eureka. A winter weather advisory remained in effect for some surrounding towns and in the northern Sierra Nevada.

In Southern California, the California Highway Patrol blamed the weather for a sharp increase in traffic crashes on Los Angeles County freeways. Officers investigated 315 wrecks by 9 a.m., up from the 55 wrecks reported on dry roadways during the same period last weekend.