Pacific Storm Soaks Calif., Ariz., Nev.

A powerful Pacific storm is drenching parts of the Southwest.

In Arizona, flooding has forced hundreds of people to evacuate homes in low-lying areas of Sedona, where scenic Oak Creek rose 11 feet during the night. Authorities say the rain is causing some rock slides, making conditions unsafe for emergency crews.

Recreational vehicles were seen floating in the water southwest of Sedona.

The creek hit 14 feet by mid-morning Wednesday and was expected to rise another few feet. Forecasters warned that storm runoff could lead to flash flooding elsewhere, which could prompt more evacuations.

About 300 people in Sedona were evacuated.

AP Image

Heavy rains and strong winds caused a eucalyptus tree to fall on a vehicle in Long Beach, Calif.

Meanwhile, in southern Nevada, police are reporting hundreds of traffic accidents around Las Vegas, where firefighters have rescued several motorists from cars stalled in deep water.

The Nevada Highway Patrol said it has handled 105 crashes in and around Las Vegas in the last 24 hours. That's three times the normal amount. Roads toward more mountainous areas were closed to vehicles without snow chains.

Conditions also are dangerous in southern California. More than 120,000 customers are without power across five counties and portions of several highways are closed because of flooding and mudslides.

Strong winds accompanied the rain. National Weathe Service officials told Los Angeles television station KNBC that what appears to be an F-0 tornado struck an Inglewood, Calif., neighborhood -- part of Los Angeles.

The tornado downed trees and caused damage throughout the area.

"It's the weakest of the tornadic variety," said Dan Keaton of the NWS. "It looks like it briefly touched down shortly after midnight. We're seeing minor damage, some trees down."

Keaton said the tornado approached from the south with winds approaching 80 mph.

"It's not all that unusual," Keaton added. "There's a history of tornadoes in the L.A. basin. They usually tend to be rather weak and short lived. Any time we have thunderstorms in the Southland there's always the possibility of tornadoes."

Officials in Costa Mesa said "tornado-like" winds pushed a brick wall onto a carport. The structure collapsed on 13 cars.

Three deaths are believed to be linked to the weather.

Oak Creek, Arizona is the area I've been hearing about.

Oak Creek flooding forces evacuations

SEDONA - A winter storm that drenched California moved into Arizona late Tuesday and early Wednesday, dropping sheets of rain over the state, sending a wall of water into Oak Creek and forcing hundreds to evacuate. Two men were missing after they tried canoeing in a normally dry creek in Prescott that was swollen by the rain. In less than 24 hours, Oak Creek rose more than 14 feet as it passed through Sedona, turning into a spreading torrent of brown water, logs and debris. Flooding forced the closure of a 14-mile stretch of U.S. 89A because of mudslides and led to the evacuation of 300 to 350 people along the creek's path as far south as Cornville. The storm also dumped enough water into the Verde River drainage that the Salt River Project will have to release water from Bartlett Dam to accommodate it, the first time the Salt River through Phoenix will have running water since March 1998. [SNIP].......

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