AFP, California :About 150,000 people were left struggling for power on Thursday as the strongest storm to lash the US West Coast in several years blew in snow, heavy rain and ferocious winds.Winds gusting up to 230 kilometers (140 miles) per hour and the biggest snowfalls for six years were reported, although it was expected to do little to compensate for a historic drought now ravaging California for a third year.The storm, which began to batter the north of the state late Wednesday, was expected to last through Friday, causing severe flooding in coastal areas and mudslides in higher regions.Some 240 flights were canceled at San Francisco International Airport, local newspaper reports said, spelling travel misery.The inclement weather sweeping into the region was being carried on a current with the unlikely name “Pineapple Express”-an intense stream of moisture stretching from Hawaii to the US West Coast.”It’s clearly the strongest storm to impact the West Coast in the last three years,” Todd Morris, a spokesman for the National Weather Service, told AFP, adding that the highest winds were expected in the mountains.Businesses shielded shop windows with wooden or cardboard coverings, while others protected their property with makeshift sandbags. Tens of thousands were temporarily left without power, although most had it restored by late afternoon, according to the PG&E utility company.In the San Francisco Bay area, ferry crossings were suspended, while two stations on the BART public transport system were temporarily closed.The number of commuters using the BART system was down by about 40 percent, said spokesman Jim Allison.”A lot of people are clearly staying home,” he said. “With the light ridership, combined with, I think, people’s patience, it turned out pretty well,” he told the LA Times newspaper.Blizzard warnings were issued for mountain areas, the first such alerts since 2008, with up to a meter (three feet) of snow expected, said Morris.Blowing in from the northern Pacific, the unusually strong storm was expected to move south, reaching Los Angeles and San Diego from Thursday evening.
