Brutal storm belts California

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Howling winds, pelting rain and heavy snow pummeled California on Friday, toppling trees, flipping big rigs, cutting power to more than 1 million people and threatening mudslides in fire-scarred areas.

Flights were grounded and highways closed in Northern California as gusts reached 80 mph during the second wave of an arctic storm that sent trees crashing onto houses, cars and roads. Forecasters expected the storm to dump up to 10 feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada by Sunday.

Highways from Sacramento to San Francisco were closed because of debris or toppled big rigs blocking lanes, and local roads were flooded. Interstate 80 was closed in the Sierra, the main link between Northern California and Nevada.

"A huge tree, over 100 years old, just fell across the house. It just wrecked the whole thing," said Faye Reed, whose daughter Teenia owns the damaged home north of Sacramento.

More than 1 million people from the Bay Area to the Central Valley were in the dark. Crews worked to restore power, but it could be days before all the lights are on, said Pacific Gas & Electric spokeswoman Darlene Chiu.

In Southern California, authorities in Orange County ordered an estimated 3,000 residents to evacuate homes in four canyons scarred by wildfires and prone to mudslides.

"It's too late once the rain starts. These areas are extremely vulnerable. You're risking your life and your family's life fundamentally" by ignoring orders, said Steve Sellers, of the governor's Office of Emergency Services.

Flash-flood warnings were issued in canyon burn areas in Malibu and in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Riverside and San Bernardino counties, east of Los Angeles, deployed swift-water rescue teams as a precaution.

After looking for a missing Clovis family all afternoon, search teams found John Hopper, 64, and his twins, Matt and Sarah, 15, safe in a popular hiking destination in the Sierra National Forest.

Crews found the family with three other people who had apparently gotten trapped in the woods after the storm hit, said Madera County Sheriff's spokeswoman Erica Stuart. All six hikers were in good condition.

Travelers' flight plans were put on hold when airlines delayed or canceled flights in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area. The state Legislature in Sacramento closed offices and sent employees home.

A wind gust of 125 mph was recorded in the Sierra on Friday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.

Meanwhile, a freeze in the East subsided. Florida's citrus growers weathered the cold largely unscathed, but strawberry and tomato growers watched as some of their crops shriveled.

A serious freeze would have devastated Florida's citrus trees, struggling from years of diseases and hurricanes. A better picture of crop damage could come Monday, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture releases a weekly progress report.