Christmas storms hit California with much-needed snow and rain

State says snowpack now between 114% and 137% of normal across Sierra range while southern areas get much-needed rain

A major Christmas storm caused whiteout conditions and closed key highways in the mountains of northern California and Nevada, with forecasters warning that travel in the Sierra Nevada could be difficult for several days.

Rainstorms also continued to hit parts of southern California. The conditions were difficult but welcome developments in a parched state where the Sierra snowpack had been at dangerously low levels after weeks of dry weather.