Storm hits California over Christmas; flood watch continues

Rainfall from an atmospheric river this week slammed Southern California, resulting in freeway collisions, flooding, mudslides and a town where residents were trapped by water.

The storm started Tuesday night, was in full force all day Wednesday and varied from sprinkles to powerful, sometimes brief outbursts on Christmas. Drivers on freeways on Wednesday and, to a lesser extent on Thursday, encountered rapid rainfall and slower traffic as motorists proceeded with caution.

But there were still some crashes on Wednesday. In one instance, all lanes of northbound Interstate 5 were closed for hours after a FedEx semi-truck crashed in San Fernando in the Los Angeles area. Those driving on the southbound side noticed traffic was at a complete standstill on the north side as motorists waited for the lanes to reopen or to exit the freeway. For a while, the northbound side looked like one big, packed parking lot, soaked in relentless rain.

A weaker storm will hit th...