The Latest: 1 dead after tree falls on power lines
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Latest on California storms (all times local):
5 p.m.
Los Angeles fire officials say one person has been electrocuted after a tree downed power lines and fell on a car.
The tree went down around noon Friday in Sherman Oaks as a powerful storm lashed the region.
Authorities say a 55-year-old man may have touched the line or contacted electrified water. He died at a hospital.
Fire officials say there have been nearly 150 reports of downed electrical lines in the past several hours.
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3:30 p.m.
The storm that's pounding Central and Southern California already has prompted rescues and injuries from flooding and toppled trees.
Los Angeles firefighters say they used ropes and inflatable boats to rescue seven people and two dogs from the Sepulveda basin area of the Los Angeles River, including one with non-life threatening injuries.
Meanwhile, a 75-foot tree fell onto an apartment building near UCLA, narrowly missing someone who was in bed. Authorities say four of the six apartments have been declared unsafe to enter, and 16 college students have been evacuated.
Another tree brought down power lines as it fell on a car, leaving one person hospitalized in serious condition with possible electric shock.
Authorities say hundreds of trees and power lines have been downed.
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1:30 p.m.
A major Pacific storm has unleashed downpours and fierce gusts on Southern California, triggering flash flood warnings and other problems.
Rain and wind wiped out play Friday in golf's Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, where a eucalyptus tree cracked beyond the 14th tree.
The Los Angeles Fire Department says another tree brought down power lines as it fell on a car, and a person was hospitalized for possible electric shock.
Another tree smashed a carport and vehicles in the Santa Barbara suburb of Goleta.
The Knott's Berry Farm amusement park in Orange County closed due to the weather.
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11:30 a.m.
Southern California authorities have urged more residents to leave areas northwest of Los Angeles that could be endangered by a powerful storm.
Wind-driven rain has been falling since early Friday on coastal counties northwest of Los Angeles and is expected to spread across the metropolitan region through the day.
The Ventura County Office of Emergency Services urged a voluntary evacuation of some homes in Camarillo (kam-uh-ree-oh) Springs, where past storms unleashed mudflows from hills scarred by a wildfire several years ago.
Up the coast, authorities asked residents to leave areas around an 11ˆ½-square-mile burn scar on coastal slopes west of Santa Barbara.
Numerous flights have been delayed or canceled at California airports.
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8:55 a.m.
A storm in the San Francisco Bay Area has delayed dozens of flights at San Francisco International Airport.
A powerful storm is beginning to move into California as the saturated state faces a new round of wet weather that could trigger flooding and debris flows around the northern region.
The brunt of the storm is expected to affect Southern California starting around midday Friday and into Saturday.
Forecasters say rain will also spread into Central California and up to the San Francisco Bay Area.
But the National Weather Service says only scattered light showers are occurring in the region north of Sacramento, where the damaged Oroville Dam continues to release water in advance of new storms.
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7:45 a.m.
A powerful storm is beginning to move into California as the saturated state faces a new round of wet weather that could trigger flooding and debris flows.
The brunt of the storm is expected to affect Southern California starting around midday Friday and into Saturday.
The foothill city of Duarte east of Los Angeles has ordered a precautionary evacuation of some homes, and the Santa Anita race track has canceled horse racing for the day.
Forecasters say rain will also spread into Central California and up to the San Francisco Bay Area.
The far northern end of the state will not see significant precipitation from the storm, however.
The National Weather Service says only scattered light showers are occurring in the region north of Sacramento, where the damaged Oroville Dam continues to release water in advance of new storms.