Rain, Snow Soak California

Another in a string of wet winter storms made its way through California Sunday, causing headaches for pedestrians and drivers alike.

CBS Station KCBS-TV reports that up to 10 inches of snow fell in the higher elevations of Southern California with up to an inch of rain at the lower levels.

In Nevada, motorists faced major delays getting over Sierra passes Sunday as another powerful storm dumped up to 2.5 feet of snow in the Lake Tahoe area.

Chains were mandatory Sunday on all three major trans-Sierra passes, and a section of Highway 88 west of Kirkwood, Calif., was closed Sunday due to avalanche control activities.

"It was a very decent storm and we have more coming," said National Weather Service forecaster Danny Mercer. "It looks like the unsettled weather pattern will continue for at least the next 10 days."

No major weather-related accidents were reported, but some minor accidents temporarily shut down I-80's westbound lanes at Blue Canyon west of the summit.

The recent string of storms will ensure that Squaw Valley north of Tahoe stays open until its traditional May 31 closing date, said spokeswoman Katja Dahl.

Squaw and other Tahoe resorts are coming off a strong Presidents Day weekend, their busiest of the season.

"We couldn't ask for better conditions right now, especially considering the slow start (to winter)," Dahl said. "We've caught up and things are definitely looking good. It looks like it should be a very strong spring."

The weather service was calling for a break in the weather Monday before the arrival of another storm Tuesday night.

"It doesn't look like the next storm will be as strong, but behind that one will be another storm Thursday," Mercer said. "The 10-day outlook calls for a storm every two or three days."

Water watchers said the recent storms have dramatically eased summer water concerns and improved the outlook for farmers.