Janet waits for her bus under the cover of a new umbrella at a bus stop in Adelanto, Calif., as rain began to fall on Wednesday, March 21, 2018. (James Quigg/The Daily Press via AP)
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LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Latest on California storms (all times local):
10:05 a.m.
The powerful storm hitting California has caused widespread street flooding in some Central Valley cities.
The National Weather Service says there are numerous reports of flooding in Fresno and nearby Clovis.
Flood warnings are also in effect east and south of Sacramento as heavy rain has caused the lower San Joaquin River system to rise.
In Southern California, flash flood warnings are issued for parts of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties near wildfire burn areas.
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6:50 a.m.
A new round of heavy rain is coming ashore on the central California coast, where thousands of people have been evacuated due to risk of debris flows from wildfire burn areas.
After an overnight lull, the storm returned before dawn Thursday in what the National Weather Service says will heavier rains.
So far, there's been no repeat of the massive and deadly debris flows that struck the Santa Barbara County community of Montecito in January but forecasters say the threat remains.
Stormy weather has also spread throughout the state, including the Sierra Nevada, where heavy snow has been making travel difficult.
Localized flooding is possible in the central California interior and in counties north of San Francisco Bay.
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11:22 p.m.
Although the first wave of a worrisome Pacific storm hasn't caused any major problems in California, forecasters say the worst is still to come, leaving authorities and disaster-weary residents on edge.
Record rain fell in parts of Southern California evacuated by thousands over the threat of debris flows and mudslides from wildfire burn areas.
Although there were no major debris flows as feared, forecasters warned that disaster is still very possible as the rain picks up on Thursday.
National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Sirard says officials hope residents don't think this is a "cry-wolf scenario."
Authorities kept a close watch on Santa Barbara County, hoping there would not be a repeat of the massive January debris flows from a burn scar that ravaged the community of Montecito and killed 21.
Kazar Topchain places sandbags along La Tuna Canyon Road in Sun Valley, Calif., Wednesday, March 21, 2018. A strong Pacific storm dropped heavy rain Wednesday on a swath of California where thousands of people have been evacuated because of the threat of debris flows and mudslides from wildfire burn areas (Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News via AP)
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This March 21, 2018 satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows a strong Pacific storm, known as a "Pineapple Express," the lower arc of clouds that range from Hawaii at lower left, aimed directly at California, middle right, that dropped heavy rain on a wide swath of the state. Thousands of people have been evacuated from coastal areas because of the threat of debris flows and mudslides from wildfire burn areas. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration via AP)
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Commuters find cover in a bus stop in Adelanto, Calif., as rain began to fall on Wednesday, March 21, 2018. (James Quigg/The Daily Press via AP)
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This photo from video provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department shows Montecito Creek flowing alongside debris left over from January mudslides in Montecito, Calif., Wednesday, March 21, 2017. A strong Pacific storm dropped heavy rain Wednesday on a swath of coastal California, where thousands of people have been evacuated because of the threat of debris flows and mudslides from wildfire burn areas. (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP)
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Workers place sandbags on a washed-out driveway on La Tuna Canyon Road in Sun Valley, Calif., Wednesday, March. 21, 2018. A strong Pacific storm dropped heavy rain Wednesday on a swath of California where thousands of people have been evacuated because of the threat of debris flows and mudslides from wildfire burn areas. (Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News via AP)
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Pedestrians make their way across a street in the pouring rain in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 21, 2018. The storm came ashore on the central coast and spread south into the Los Angeles region and north through San Francisco Bay, fed by a long plume of subtropical moisture called an atmospheric river. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
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A crew works to clear Santa Rosa Creek Road after a rockslide in Cambria, Callif. Crews worked Wednesday, March 21, 2018, to clean up the rockslide. A strong Pacific storm dropped heavy rain Wednesday on a swath of coastal California, where thousands of people have been evacuated because of the threat of debris flows and mudslides from wildfire burn areas. (Joe Johnston/The Tribune (of San Luis Obispo) via AP)
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Pedestrians huddle under umbrellas while trying to make their way across a street in the rain in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 21, 2018. A strong Pacific storm dropped heavy rain Wednesday on a swath of coastal California, where thousands of people have been evacuated because of the threat of debris flows and mudslides from wildfire burn areas. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
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Pedestrians make their way across a street in the pouring rain in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 21, 2018. The storm came ashore on the central coast and spread south into the Los Angeles region and north through San Francisco Bay, fed by a long plume of subtropical moisture called an atmospheric river. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
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Pedestrians make their way across a street in the pouring rain in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 21, 2018. The storm came ashore on the central coast and spread south into the Los Angeles region and north through San Francisco Bay, fed by a long plume of subtropical moisture called an atmospheric river. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
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