Floods force hundreds of evacuations along Nevada mountains

(AP) — A massive winter storm that could be the biggest to slam the region in more than a decade prompted the evacuation of hundreds of homes in northern Nevada and triggered flooding and mudslides that blocked major highways and stranded motorists in Northern California.

Crews in California cleared trees and debris Sunday following mudslides caused by steady rain accompanying the system that could dump 15 inches in the foothills of the Sierra and heavy snow on the mountain tops before it's expected to move east early Monday.

In Nevada, emergency officials voluntarily evacuated a total of 400 homes affecting about 1,300 residents in a south Reno neighborhood Sunday afternoon as the Truckee River began to leave its banks and drainage ditches started to overflow south of U.S. Interstate 80.

No injuries had been reported, but high waters forced the closure of numerous area roads, a series of bridges in downtown Reno and a pair of Interstate 80 off-ramps in neighboring Sparks, where the worst flooding is expected to send several feet of water early Monday into an industrial area where 25,000 people work.

Bob Leighton, the Reno Fire Department's chief of emergency operations, called it "a very dynamic situation that's happening so fast it's hard to keep up with the road closures."

In Northern California, toppled trees on Sunday crashed against cars and homes or blocked roads in the San Francisco Bay area, and officials rescued stranded motorists from cars stuck on flooded roads on Sunday.

The California Highway Patrol's Truckee office said all westbound lanes of Interstate 80 near Donner Lake Road in Donner Lake were closed indefinitely because of a large mudslide Sunday evening.