Storm kills 3 in Pacific Northwest

A sizeable storm contributed to three deaths and several school closures in the Pacific Northwest this weekend, but weather officials say it will take weeks of similar weather to stave off drought in California – on the brink of a Stage 3 water emergency,

The National Weather Service says the first significant storm to hit Northern California in 14 months has produced impressive amounts of rain and snow, but forecasters cautioned Sunday that it would take weeks of similar drenching to end the state's immediate drought worries.

Parts of the northern San Francisco Bay Area saw sizable amounts of rain, along with flooding, downed trees and power outages. By late Sunday, the Sonoma County town of Guerneville had received more than 15 inches of rain since the storm moved in Thursday, while downtown San Francisco got more than 3 inches, said Bob Benjamin, a National Weather Service forecaster in Monterey.

The storm, powered by a warm, moisture-packed system from the Pacific Ocean known as a Pineapple Express, was expected to bring more rain Sunday before moving east.

In the Pacific Northwest, in central Oregon, the Deschutes County sheriff's office was investigating three storm-related deaths, including that of a 61-year-old Bend man who collapsed while shoveling snow outside his home. An elderly couple was also found Saturday buried in snow, and authorities believe they were walking through heavy snow on an unplowed driveway to their home.

Officials in the Portland, Ore., and southwest Washington areas warned of an icy Monday morning commute as the National Weather Service on Sunday afternoon issued a freezing rain advisory for the region from 4 a.m. to noon.

On Sunday, Seattle-area residents woke up to rare lowland snow. In Portland, city officials sent out a cellphone alert Sunday morning urging residents to stay indoors and avoid travel after freezing rain turned streets and sidewalks into thick sheets of ice. As a result, parts of Oregon and Washington were bracing for a treacherous Monday morning commute.

"This event, while it certainly isn't going to take us out of the drought, we couldn't have asked for a better storm," said a Nevada meteorologist, Scott McGuire in Reno. "We are seeing very, very impressive rainfall and snowfall amounts."

After subsisting on man-made snow for much of the season, Lake Tahoe's ski resorts received more than 3 feet of new snow over two days.

By Sunday, nearly 3 inches fell at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the heaviest snowfall in a single day at that location in about two years. Parts of southwest Washington got hammered with as much as 5 inches or more in south Thurston County and some parts of Lewis County.

High avalanche danger prompted officials at Mount Rainier National Park to close the gate to Paradise at Longmire on Sunday.

In Portland, about 40 flights, or less than 10 percent of the typical 500 daily flights, were canceled Sunday morning. Most flights were generally getting in and out of the airport though with some delays, Port of Portland spokesman Steve Johnson said.

Freezing rain Saturday brought treacherous conditions to the metro area, forcing transportation officials to temporarily suspend light-rail and streetcar services before resuming service Sunday morning.

Al Jazeera and The Associated Press