22 Jan 2010

Worst storms in five years clobber California

9:01 pm on 22 January 2010

The fourth and strongest winter rainstorm in a week has clobbered normally sunny Southern California, pounding beaches with huge waves and threatening to bring torrents of mud down on expensive hillside homes.

Californians, who have rarely seen rain during a three-year drought that forced the state to ration water, have found themselves deluged in the worst storms in five years.

A state of emergency was declared in five counties and thousands of people have been evacuated.