Rain, snow in California bring more flooding and a tornado

SACRAMENTO, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Another round of storms drenched Southern California and the San Francisco area in rain, as snow in the state's Sierra Nevada Mountains threatened to flood rivers.

Los Angeles sustained heavy rain Wednesday, although not enough to cause mudslides or other damage. The northern part of the state, digging out from a week of rain and snow, saw what meteorologists regard as the last day of the storm. The Lake Tahoe region received 79 inches of snow in the 48 hours ending Wednesday morning. More than 10 feet of snow has fallen on some parts of the region in the past seven days. Rain flooded Napa County, and 3,000 Sonoma County residents were ordered to evacuate as the Russian River overflowed its banks. The town of San Anselmo, near San Francisco, was evacuated and roads were closed as water levels in a nearby creek rose. Corte Madera Creek in Marin County rose one foot above flood stage.

A weak tornado struck South Natomas, near Sacramento, early Wednesday, leaving a clear track of damage along a half-mile path but causing no injuries.

Although only a light rain continues to fall across most of the state, a colder storm, predicted for Thursday and Friday, could cause hazardous driving conditions in the northern mountains, the National Weather Service said, and the risk of flooding remains high.