Winter storms cause flooding in California

Winter storms have caused flooding in California which resulted to numerous traffic accidents, localised street flooding and canyon rock falls.

Sonora: Another storm has hit California with spectacular lightning, thunderclaps and downpours, but evacuations were cancelled on Wednesday as significant debris and mud flows did not materialise.

Numerous traffic accidents, localised street flooding and canyon rock falls snarled Los Angeles area traffic, but conditions were diminishing to showers as the system moved east.

The National Weather Service reported "copious" lightning strikes as the long plume of Pacific moisture approached the coast late Tuesday.

The weather service said it was "one of the more electrically active systems" seen all winter.