LOS ANGELES - About 180 people, some of whom spent more than 12 hours stuck in deep snow in the San Bernardino Mountains, were rescued Saturday as the second of three storms pounded California that left riverbeds swollen and knocked out power to thousands of residents.
Snow up to 4 feet deep left motorists stranded along a 5-mile stretch of Highway 18 between the Snow Valley ski resort and the Big Bear dam in the mountains about 90 miles east of Los Angeles, said Tracey Martinez, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County fire department.
Rescue crews used tracked vehicles to pick up the snowbound motorists and take them to drier locations.
"People were panicking and calling 911 on their cell phones," Martinez said. "Most of them are elated to be out of there. But some continued on and said they were going skiing."
No serious injuries were reported but three people were taken to hospitals complaining of shortness of breath, Martinez said.
Just to the southwest of Highway 18, a rockslide forced the closure of Highway 330, a 15-mile stretch that leads to Lake Arrowhead.
No injuries were immediately reported.
A steady stream of winter lashings have hit the state since Dec. 27, pushing rainfall totals throughout California far above normal. Since Friday, about 6 to 10 inches have fallen in the mountains and between 1 and 2 inches have been recorded in the valleys and coastal areas, the National Weather Service said.
