SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Four straight days of rain have replenished several key reservoirs in drought-stricken California, but the El Nino-related storms also led to the death of a highway patrol officer who was struck while directing traffic on a snowy Sierra Nevada freeway.
The series of storms that started late last week was expected to taper off Monday, with warm temperatures and blue skies forecast throughout California this week.
The latest storm weakened as it moved south, bringing drizzle and a high surf advisory to Los Angeles County.
In Northern California, authorities reported that lakes Shasta and Oroville haven’t been this full since 2013, delighting a state in its fifth year of drought but falling short of ending concerns about the drought.
Lake Shasta, the state’s largest reservoir, was at 79 percent capacity on Monday and at 103 percent of its historical average for this time of year.