Storm-hit Southern California braces for more rain

Vehicles dodge mud and standing water on Mulholland Highway near Skyline Drive on Dec. 19, 2010, as heavy rain continued to fall most of the day in Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

LOS ANGELES—A storm walloped parts of Southern California with nearly 180 millimetres of rain and spawned minor flooding and mudslides, but forecasters warn the bad weather’s real impact may be yet to come.

Another 77 millimetres of rain expected across the region by Wednesday will hit already saturated hillsides, increasing the possibility of mudslides and flash floods, said Stuart Seto of the National Weather Service.

The relentless rains that pounded Southern California through the weekend also caused numerous traffic accidents, downed trees and forced the cancellation of several horse races.

The Pacific Coast HIGHWAY between Malibu and Oxnard was closed Sunday night because of a rock and mud slide. No one was hurt. It was unclear when the scenic stretch of highway, some 65 kilometres west of downtown Los Angeles, would reopen.

The weather service said rainfall accumulation could reach 500 millimetres in some isolated locations by Wednesday, when the first phase of the storm is expected to pass. After a brief respite, it is forecast to return late Christmas Day.

The system hit the state after a large storm front moving out of the Gulf of Alaska met with subtropical, moist air coming across the Pacific Ocean.

In Kern County, officials declared an emergency after a second day of intense rains, a move that provides responders with faster access to country resources. The Bakersfield Californian reported that the rains left many neighbourhoods around the county dealing with high water. Some roads were closed and some homeowners stacked sandbags in hopes of staying dry.

The Los Angeles area, including downtown, Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley, also received heavy rainfall.

The Santa Maria River briefly overran its banks Sunday and caused flooding in Guadeloupe in Santa Barbara County, forcing an underdetermined number of people to leave their homes, fire officials said. The Santa Maria Times reported that the high waters began receding in the evening.

A flash-flood warning was in effect for some areas, particularly mountain areas still scarred by recent wildfires, while flood warnings or flood advisories were issued for most of the region.

Residents of La Canada Flintridge were among those keeping a wary eye on the rain. More than 40 homes in the hillside city just north of Los Angeles were damaged or destroyed by a mudslide in February.

“We are holding up,” said resident Lien Yang, who added he was warned to be prepared to evacuate. “It’s coming down steady but not pouring. Therefore it doesn’t cause a mud flow or flooding or anything like that. Hopefully, it’s winding down and we’ll have no threat this time.”

One of his neighbours, Tom Smith, spent part of Sunday afternoon placing sandbags in front of his house.

The rain triggered more than 60 accidents throughout the Los Angeles area, the California Highway Patrol reported.

-- The Associated Press

Anger rises over European travel chaos

Passengers wait for their flights, which were disrupted by snow and freezing temperatures, inside Terminal 4 at London's Heathrow Airport, Monday, Dec. 20, 2010. (AP Photo/PA, Steve Parsons)

LONDON--Frustrated travelers in Europe expressed fury Monday at transportation officials' inability to clear snow and ice from planes, runways and high-speed train tracks, failings that have caused holiday travel chaos and fears that many will not get home in time for Christmas.

Snow snarls air, road and rail travel in Europe

A plow clears snow at Heathrow Airport in London on Dec. 19, 2010.

LONDON - Snow and freezing temperatures continued to cause holiday travel chaos Monday for road, rail and air passengers in Britain and much of Europe after a weekend of disruption.

Airlines said that Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, was the worst hit by the poor weather — with only a limited number of flights to arrive and depart. Hundreds of passengers camped overnight in terminal buildings after services were cancelled or delayed.

Eurostar reported that its trains linking England to France and Belgium were also severely delayed or cancelled and urged travellers to cancel or postpone their trips if possible.

In Germany flight operations were slowed even though Frankfurt airport, Germany's biggest, was clear of snow and ice. Officials cancelled about 300 flights there Monday, out of a planned total of 1,340, because of problems elsewhere in Europe, airport operator Fraport said.

French civil aviation authorities, meanwhile, asked airlines to reduce their flights at the two main Paris airports by 30 per cent.

French aviation spokesman Eric Heraud said these reductions take into account the problems at other European airports that may be destinations for flights from Charles de Gaulle or Orly airports.

More snow is forecast in some areas of Britain for Monday afternoon, adding to the problems, with British Airways warning of more flight cancellations, particularly in the greater London area, where all airports have been affected.

Airports and British travel industry group ABTA have warned it is almost inevitable that some cancellations and delays will continue through this week and likely snarl those attempting to head away for the holiday season.

British Airways warned passengers not to travel to London's Heathrow airport unless they have a confirmed seat on a flight known to be operating despite the weather problems and the backlog of delays. It urged travellers to consider cancelling their flight if possible.

Icy conditions were also hampering travel across Europe, with flights cancelled and delayed in multiple countries at the weekend.

"We are awaiting further updates," before publishing the schedule for the remainder of the day, British Airways said in a statement. "Customers should continue to check their flight status as more snow is forecast this afternoon, which could cause further disruption to airport operations."

In Britain criticism of the breakdown in the air and road system mounted, prompting Transport Secretary Philip Hammond to promise an inquiry into the way passengers were treated after their flights were cancelled. He was expected to address Parliament about the crisis Monday afternoon.

Travellers described scenes of chaos for those arriving at the Heathrow airport, with officials offering contradictory messages about the status of flights.

"What I am hearing is a sense of outrage about the way they were then treated when they were stranded at Heathrow airport," Hammond told BBC television.

Authorities in parts of western Germany banned trucks weighing more than 7.5 tons from highways as a safety measure.

Bus traffic in the Paris region was "very disturbed," the RATP transport authority said, with buses to the airports halted.

Forecasters have said Britain is experiencing some of the most severe winter weather in a century, with continued freezing temperatures and snowfall accumulations expected Monday afternoon and evening.

Temperatures plunged to a record low overnight in Northern Ireland, and forecasters predicted fresh deluges of snow across Britain.

Motoring organizations have warned of potentially fatal conditions on Britain's icy roads as commuters tried to get to work.

- Gregory Katz, The Associated Press; Geir Moulson in Berlin and Elaine Ganley in Paris contributed to this report.

Heavy snow hampers travel in Europe

LONDON - Blizzards and freezing temperatures shut down runways, train tracks and highways across Europe on Saturday, disrupting flights and leaving shivering drivers stranded on roadsides.

Airports in Britain, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark reported cancellations or delays to flights. London's Gatwick airport reopened late afternoon after 150 employees using dozens of snow plows worked to clear the runway, though officials warned flights would be limited and cancellations likely.

British Airways cancelled all short-haul flights from Heathrow airport and said long haul services would not resume before 7 p.m. (1900 GMT, 2 p.m. EST). "Heathrow is fully operational, but we are expecting more snow and planning for the worst," Europe's busiest airport said in a statement.

Conditions on U.K. roads were treacherous, Automobile Association official Darron Burness said. "One of the biggest problems is that large amounts of snow are falling very quickly on to frozen surfaces, making driving hazardous," he said.

Hundreds of motorists were left stranded on the major route in northwestern England following a deluge, prompting police patrols to offer food and water to drivers. In Italy, the Autostrada of the Sun — the country's main north-south highway — was jammed with hundreds of vehicles, whose chilly occupants slept in their cars, vans or trucks.

Though snow had mainly cleared or melted early Saturday, the highway was still closed in one direction, with traffic backed up for nearly 25 miles (40 kilometres). The snowfall also forced high-speed trains to bypass Florence's central Santa Maria Novella station, stopping in suburban stations instead. Paris was sprinkled with a light coat of snow overnight, as many people prepared to set off on their Christmas vacations.

More snow was predicted Saturday, leading civil aviation authorities to cancel 15 per cent of flights at Charles de Gaulle airport between 4 p.m. (1500 GMT, 10 a.m. EST) and 11 p.m. (2200 GMT, 5 p.m. EST).

Many flights were also cancelled in northeastern France, where snow already blanketed the ground, and services were also cancelled at the airports in the cities of Nantes and Rennes. Significant numbers of domestic and European flights were cancelled at Germany's Frankfurt airport as it dealt with the disruption. Germany's railway operator Deutsche Bahn said it was pressing into service all the trains it could — though some journeys were subject to delays.

"Everything that can roll is rolling," spokesman Holger Auferkamp told the German news agency DAPD. Retailers said the poor weather would likely dent sales on what it traditionally the busiest shopping weekend before Christmas.

London's Brent Cross indoor shopping mall closed its doors early Saturday afternoon. Elsewhere, a snowman greeted tourists at London's Camden Market, while traders broke up ice and snow with shovels on the cobblestone paths. Two groups of tourists hurled snowballs at each other across the canal on the edge of the market. Britain may experience its coldest December on record, weather service forecaster Mark Seltzer said.

"Temperatures will struggle to get over freezing and although the snow should ease off tonight, it will return to eastern areas on Sunday," he said.

Police in Leicester, central England, said the snowy weather had helped uncover a cannabis factory in the city. Officers raided the premises after spotting that snow had melted on the building's roof as a result of heat from industrial-strength lights used in the cultivation of the drug.

Horse racing meetings and dozens of soccer games in England and Scotland were called off as a result of the conditions, including a high profile match scheduled for Sunday in London between Chelsea and Manchester United.

David Stringer, The Associated Press

Freezing rain brings slippery driving for GTA

Slick and icy roads in some spots are making for a tricky commute in parts of southern Ontario today.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement because of freezing drizzle, and then snow squalls in the snow belts.

The weather statement covers much of southern Ontario, including London-Middlesex, the Niagara region, north to the Algonquin area and east to Kingston-Prince Edward.

Areas of freezing drizzle developed during the night across several regions.

There are reports of slippery roads and numerous accidents in the greater Toronto area.

Conditions should improve a little later in the morning, as the freezing drizzle becomes patchy before ending.

-- The Canadian Press

Snow grounds European air travel

Cars and trucks make their way across the snowy motorway A3 near Wiesbaden-Breckenheim, western Germany on Dec. 17, 2010. Heavy snowfall during the night caused obstructions of traffic all over Germany. (JUERGEN MAHNKE/AFP/Getty Images)

BERLIN—Heavy overnight snowfall grounded about 450 flights and caused major delays at German airports Friday, forced schools to close, left highways clogged with traffic and caused scores of accidents that killed at least two people.

Icy roads mean dangerous driving south of Ontario

A pedestrian clears off a car as lake-effect snow bands again set up on Dec.14, 2010, in Buffalo, New York. John Normile/GETTY IMAGES

If you’re planning on driving south of the border today, watch out for closed roads and slick conditions as there are widespread reports Thursday of frozen roads from North Carolina to Florida.

Ice-slicked roads created treacherous driving conditions that caused a fatal accident and delayed school openings across a swath of the country, mainly in the South, while the East Coast braced for more snow.

More snow on the way

About 2 to 4 cm of snow is expected to fall on Toronto by noon Thursday, Environment Canada says.

Temperatures are expected to reach a high of -1 C with the clouds clearing by early afternoon.

The clouds will roll back in Thursday night with an expected low of -10 C, which is far from the record low: The thermometer dropped to -23.3C in 1951.

Environment Canada has issued a snow squall warning for the region south of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. Up to 50 cm of snow could accumulate in areas near Barrie, Orillia and Midland.

--Liam Casey

Bundle up for morning commute

You won’t need the shovel during your morning commute, but you will need to bundle up.

With only a chance of flurries during the morning hours on Wednesday, the main concern for people as they travel to work will be the chilly temperature.

Environment Canada says the temperature could go as low as -12 C when day breaks.

The GTA will only see a high of -6 C, which is seven degrees below seasonal.

“It could be a lot worse,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Mark Schuster.

“The record low is -20.6 C and we’re nowhere near that.”

However, the break in the snow will be appreciated by residents in southern Ontario.

Tuesday left the region blanketed in the white stuff, with some regions – like the GTA – only getting a few centimeters and others – like Lambton County – getting a few feet.

Late Tuesday, some regions of the county, which is home to Sarnia, were getting close to 10 cm of snow per hour, said Schuster.

He also said there aren’t anymore dumpings of snow forecasted for the foreseeable future.

Madeleine White, Toronto Star

Brace yourself for a long, snowy commute

Drivers heading home from work should brace themselves for a long, snowy commute as swirling winds blow snow around the GTA.

The province’s Ministry of Transportation is saying that most of Hwy. 401 is slushy and partially covered in snow.

The conditions combined with the afternoon commute have caused a lot of congestion on these major highways, with very slow traffic moving east from Scarborough to Black Creek Dr. along Hwy. 401. Traffic is also slow westbound between Hwy. 403 and Allen Rd.

The westbound QEW is also clogged. The northbound DVP is very heavy, as is the westbound Gardiner.

“I would say if people do encounter blowing snow especially heading north from Toronto, just to take their time and keep plenty of distance,” said Const. Peter Leon of the Ontario Provincial Police.

Currently, no streets or highways have been closed in Toronto but north of the city there are a number of weather-related closures, including: County Rd. 92 between Elmville and Wasaga Beach and Hwy. 26 from Horseshoe Valley Rd. onward.

Taking transit may be a better option for people who do not need to get in their vehicles. The TTC is not reporting any major disruptions and GO trains are operating on time.

However some GO buses in Peel, York and Durham are experiencing delays. Around 5:30 p.m., GO Transit alerted its commuters that all buses are estimated to be around 30 to 50 minutes late.

Commuters should check GO Transit’s website before heading out to the station.

Madeleine White