Rain-triggered mudslides in SoCal burn area prompt mandatory evacs

SILVERADO CANYON, Calif. -- A storm moving across the state is causing problems for residents in the community in Southern California, which saw some mudslides Wednesday morning.

Silverado Canyon was shut down between Olive Drive and Ladd Canyon due to a mudslide in that area, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department. A mandatory evacuation order for that community was issued shortly after 9 a.m.

Authorities have also issued voluntary evacuation orders for Modjeska and Williams canyons, which were all burned by the Bond Fire in December. The blaze stripped more 6,000 acres in the area, leaving prime conditions for mudslides.

The flowing mud engulfed some cars in the neighborhood, but no injuries or serious damage have been reported.

The storm brought more much-needed rain and snow to California on Wednesday at the tail-end of a largely dry winter.

Conditions included showers, downpours, thunderstorms, hail and low-elevation snow.

For a time, the California Highway Patrol had to escort Interstate 5 traffic over Tejon Pass in the mountains north of Los Angeles.

To the east, heavy snow was reported on Interstate 15 in the high desert, Caltrans said.

In the Eastern Sierra, the Mammoth Mountain ski resort reported 9 inches to 11 inches (22.8-27.9 centimeters) of new snow overnight, with more expected.

The Sierra snowpack is an important contributor to California's water supply, but at the start of March its water content was about half the average normally recorded on April 1, when it is typically at its most robust.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.