"PINEAPPLE EXPRESS" STORM HITS CALIFORNIA AFTER TRIGGERING WASHINGTON MUDSLIDES, FLOODING

Floodwater from the Duckabush River has inundated homes in Brinnon, Washington, and a separate mudslide has partially closed several roads.

"PINEAPPLE EXPRESS" STORM HITS CALIFORNIA AFTER TRIGGERING WASHINGTON MUDSLIDES, FLOODING

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A storm sweeping down the West Coast pelted parts of the San Francisco Bay Area with much-needed rain Friday, triggered flooding that swamped several homes in Washington state, and unleashed hurricane-force winds in Nevada.

Up to 10 inches of rain expected this weekend in parts of the drought-stricken region won't make a significant dent in the California's historic drought, but it's a welcome change after six dry weeks in the Bay Area. For the first time in recorded history, there was no measurable rainfall in downtown San Francisco in January, when winter rains usually come.

It would take 150 percent of the average rainfall for California to recover from the dry period, state water resource officials say. But snow is more important than rain because snowpack supplies about a third of the water needed by residents, agriculture and industry.

About 26 miles west of Seattle, an overflowing river inundated at least a half dozen homes on the Olympic Peninsula. Rescuers went door to door in Brinnon to check homes on a road partially blocked by a mudslide, Jefferson County Emergency Management spokeswoman Keppie Keplinger said.

Three people were rescued from a flooded pickup truck Friday morning, but none was injured, she said.

The threat of landslides will persist into the weekend, and weather officials warn of flooding in several rivers in western Washington. Oregon also saw flooding on roadways.

In the Sierra Nevada spanning California and Nevada, strong winds blinded drivers, causing multiple car crashes. The wind snapped massive trees, closed ski resorts around Lake Tahoe and knocked out power to thousands. A 134 mph gust recorded early Friday near the Mount Rose Ski Resort southeast of Reno led the facility and two others to close.

At least a dozen people were hurt in multiple crashes on Nevada highways. No deaths were reported, but nine people were hospitalized in a crash on a stretch of U.S. Highway 95A that involved at least eight vehicles. Three other people were hospitalized with minor injuries after five cars crashed on U.S. 395 north of Reno near the California line.

NV Energy reported more than 3,000 customers in Carson City and nearly 2,000 in Reno-Sparks were without power at noon Friday as the winter storm blew into the area after a record high of 70 degrees in Reno the day before.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, power lines were snapped by falling trees and the wind ripped through freeway and street signs. More than 60,000 people lost power. By Friday evening, 9,000 customers remained without power, Pacific Gas & Electric said.

North of San Francisco, businesses in Marin, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma counties stacked sandbags to prepare for possible flash flooding from swollen waterways as rain started falling in the North Bay.

Winds of up to 15 mph were recorded east of the city Friday morning, and the blustery weather knocked down trees and caused power outages, the National Weather Service said.

San Francisco International Airport saw delays of up to 90 minutes and about 175 flights canceled Friday.

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BRINNON, Wash. (AP) - As much as 7 inches of rain have fallen over 24 hours on the east side of the Olympics where the Duckabush River is flooding the town of Brinnon, the National Weather Service said Friday.

Swift water rescue teams went door to door at homes on Kelly Road, which was partially blocked by a mudslide, Jefferson County Emergency Management spokeswoman Keppie Keplinger said. Three people were rescued Friday morning from a flooded pickup truck, but none was injured, she said.

The area, which is 26 miles west of Seattle on the west side of the Hood Canal, also flooded in December but not as severely.

The Weather Service says 2 to 4 inches of rain have fallen in other parts of western Washington as part of blast of warm, moist area hitting the Northwest and Northern California. Forecasters say the rain will ease later Friday but another pulse is expected Saturday in the series of storms.

The Weather Service is warning or watching for flooding on several rivers in western Washington, including the Elwha, Dungeness, Bogachiel, Nooksack, Skagit and Stillaguamish.

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BRINNON, Wash. - Dozens of homes were engulfed by floodwaters Friday in the small town of Brinnon after extremely heavy rain overnight in rural Jefferson County forced the Duckabush River over its banks near Hood Canal.

A mudslide also damaged homes and three people were rescued after their truck became stranded as they were fleeing the rushing floodwaters.

Evacuations are under way in the area, but so far there are no reports of injuries. A swift water rescue team is in the area. Several vehicles also were stranded in floodwaters from the rain-gorged Duckabush River, including a Jefferson County sheriff's patrol car.

"It's pretty bad," said Assistant Fire Chief Ben Andrews. "There are a lot of homes that have water in them."

A National Weather Service spotter reported that 4.43 inches of rain fell in the area between 4 p.m. Thursday and 7:30 a.m. Friday.

Emergency responders initially rushed to the area near Shorewood Road and Kelly Road in Brinnon, off Duckabush Road, at about 1 a.m. Friday after receiving reports of a mudslide, said a spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management. The slide reportedly blocked the road and damaged five or six homes.

Now crews are going to door to door to check on residents stranded by floodwaters from the Duckabush River, which flows from the Olympic Mountains. Many homes are completely surrounded by floodwaters.

Nicole Black, whose home is located just above the flood zone, said the area occasionally experiences minor flooding when it rains heavily, but "this is different."

"This is a lot more than we're used to," she said. "This is beyond our comfort zone." She said the flooding may have been worsened by a mudslide on a bank that was logged about two years ago.

She said crews are going door-to-door with Zodiac boats and a large dump truck to evacuate residents.

"It wasn't very fun," said Elyssa Brown. "This is the second time it's happened."

The last time was in December when the Duckabush also went over its banks.

"It's horrible," said Keri Nelson. "We've already had it happen and we haven't even recovered from the last time."

Marlene Standerfer and her husband are staying put, even though the water is up to their doors, and their house is surrounded by water. They say they're not nervous.

"We've come out a lot of times and sat at the picnic table and watched all the logs come down," said Marlene Standerfer.

The fire crews say the evacuations are advisable, but not mandatory... At least not yet. Even along Kelly Road on the north side of the river, we saw smoke from a chimney -- a family deciding to ride it out despite water around -- and probably inside their home.

Flood Watches and warnings remain in effect for much of Western Washington, including rivers in Grays Harbor, Clallam, Jefferson, Skagit, Whatcom, Mason, Pierce and Snohomish counties.

More heavy rainfall is forecast through the weekend, with significant rainfall in the Mount Rainier area as well.

Several Cascade Mountain rivers also are threatened by potential flooding, including the Nooksack, Skagit, Stillaguamish and Puyallup rivers.

"This is only the beginning of things getting worse," Black said. "If this rain continues like it is projected to everybody here needs to get out and we need to make sure these banks don't fall."