Mudslides to Tornadoes to Snow, It's Practically Summer

A Los Angeles county crew shovels mud from a road, in Sierra Madre, Calif. Friday, May 23, 2008. A mudslide closed two roads in the foothill community of Sierra Madre as wet and windy weather bounced through Southern California for a second day. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

After a fire ripped through the hills above Sierra Madre last month, rain caused a mudslide forcing the closure of two roads while officials urged voluntary evacuations that few took part in.

Yesterday at Williams and Modjeska Canyons in Orange County where three mudslides occurred, a total of about 1,000 residents were ordered to evacuate yesterday for a few hours. However, officials expect canyons to hold up against more rain today and throughout the weekend. "The rainfall expected this afternoon in the canyon areas won't be strong enough to bring down hillsides or cause the kind of flooding that prompted brief evacuations on Thursday," reported the Orange County Register.

OC Mudslide Info Map via the Orange County Register

In San Diego County on Mount Laguna, the rain went from hail to snow. It hailed quickly in the San Fernando Valley, but to the north, snow fell at the 5,000 level in the mountains. Two inches fell in Wrightwood and snow that's reportedly already starting to melt fell in Baldwin Park.

A tornado funnel touches down in Riverside, Calif. on Thursday, May 22 (AP Photo/Merri Lynn Casem)

"Shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday in Riverside County, one of two funnel clouds tossed a line of 30-ton rail cars off their tracks and overturned a tractor-trailer truck, blocking the northbound lanes of the 215 Freeway," reported the LA Times. "Rush-hour traffic backed up for at least eight miles, according to the California Highway Patrol...

"The tornado then headed toward Perris, where it caused power outages and minor damage before dissipating... There were reports of a tornado touching down near Interstate 15 in Corona on Thursday night."

Tornado Videos

h/t L.A. Now