Imperial Valley press., 1931-12-28
WEATHER
RECORDS
SMASHED
Severe Storm Plays Havoc
With Northern Section
OF California.
COAST is BATTERED
Transportation Delayed
By Deep Water And
Damaged Highways.

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. %. fUP>-
Weather records Of more than 20
years fell today as a driving wind
and rain storm swept out of the
North Pacific bringing SHOWS to
mountain regions and threatening
floods to lowlands.
The storm spent its fury across
four states, lashing coast points
with heavy gales, blocking trans
portation and swelling rivers to
the danger point.
Forecasts of lighter rainfall to-
day and tomorrow indicated the
worst of the storm was over, but
prospects of more downpourS
caused apprehension in sections
where rivers already had raised TO
the breaking point.
The storm descended on WASH
ington, Oregon, California and
Nevada, retraced its path to VIC.
toria, B. c., and then started SOUTH
ward again with q 56-mile gale IN
its teeth. Ships turned their noses
into the face of the wind and pre-
pared to ride it out. ~,
Trains in many sections were
behind schedule while air liners
remained in their hangers and
automobile traffic, except in re-.
stricted districts, was almost at a
StanoStiu.
The Sacramento river burst Its
banks at Chico, Calf, flooding a
highway under half a foot Of
water, while valley dwellers anx.
iously manned levees as the stream
rose foot by foot. Kennett, at the
head of the river, received 9.a8
| inches of rain in 90 hours.
In Santa Cruz, Calf, struck by
| almost nine inches of rain, a force
! of 1000 men was recruited to pre-
vent further damage from heavy
ocean breakers and rising creeks.
Eight cabins at Sequel were washed
away and fears were felt for
lumber dam on Sequel creek. The
San Lorenzo river was higher than
it has been in 20 years.
Streets Flooded
Houses and streets were flooded
in the town of Sequel when the
creek overflowed and at Santa
Cruz breakers undermined huge
casino, carrying. part OF it away.
A series of 10 lakes, each more
than half mile long, surrounded
| the city of Oakland More than 40
| homes, some in fashionable dis.
tricts, were threatened Fire de-
partments were deluged with calls
for pumps as the water began
| filling easements and ground floors
of several houses.
The town of Pajaro, across the
Pajaro river from Watsonville.
Calf, was endangered when the
stream and its feeder, SalsipuedeS
creek, overflowed.
Otto Bronx, 65, dairy farm en-
| ployee who refused to leave his
cabin when the Napa river began
| rising dangerously was missing to-
day and his cabin had been car
ried away Edward j. Mackey. IL,
Alameda, Calf, was treated in q
Nevada City, Calf, hospital for
! freezing after losing his way in q
| blizzard.
Thirteen feet of snow was re-
ported at Norden, near Donner
summit in the Sierra Nevada
mountains, the deepest in 20 years.
! San Francisco received ll.24 inches
! of rain for the season to date, as
compared with 2.64 inches this
time last year and a normal OF
/ 7.29. Records in other sections
were equally high.
LOS ANGELES. Dec. %. W.H-
The fifth downpour of the month,
which began falling here shortly
before midnight last night. con-
tinued unabated today, with the
United States weather bureau pre-
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