Another powerful late-season storm heads toward California

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Another powerful Pacific storm system approaching California on Monday was expected to bring rain, wind and heavy mountain snow, forecasters said.

The cold storm was expected to push ashore Monday night in the north and spread over the state through Wednesday.

The National Weather Service warned that the winds could easily topple trees because the very wet winter has left soils saturated.

The system could drop several feet of snow in the upper elevations of Northern California’s coastal mountains and the Sierra Nevada, making travel difficult, forecasters said.

Powerful storms since late December have blanketed the Sierra in a massive snowpack with a water content that is more than 220% of normal, according to the state Department of Water Resources.

The Mammoth Mountain ski resort in the Eastern Sierra said that with 667 inches (16.9 meters) of snow at its main lodge and more than 840 inches (21.3 meters) on its summit, the resort was on the verge of breaking its record for snowiest season.

In Southern California’s mountains, the storm could drop snow at elevations as low as 2,500 feet (762 meters) and possibly on foothills, forecasters said.