Weakening Storm Headed for L.A.

A slow-moving winter storm left up to 5 feet of snow in parts of the Sierra Nevada, leaving two people dead in separate accidents.

The weather front, which dumped as much as 6 inches of rain over three days in Northern California, should arrive in Southern California this morning with a somewhat muted punch.

Still, forecasters predicted up to an inch of rain along the coast and as much as two inches in mountain areas, where the snow level could drop to 4,000 feet by tonight.

The storm walloped the Sierra Nevada with sustained fury Monday, bringing heavy snow and winds that closed westbound Interstate 80 for about two hours at the Nevada-California border.

Before the arrival of the weekend front, the weather had been a bit drier than normal in Northern California. But three days of moisture brought seasonal precipitation to normal levels.

The onslaught of bad weather also proved deadly.

A UC Berkeley student, Malcolm R. Hart, died in a weekend snow bank collapse near Donner Summit, where he had been hiking and sledding with friends. And a Marin County woman was crushed in her car by a falling tree.

Authorities said the 21-year-old student’s three companions narrowly escaped death themselves, as they found themselves suddenly trapped beneath crushing snow.

When the foursome set out near the Sugar Bowl ski resort Saturday afternoon, about 4 feet of new snow lay on the ground, and the National Park Forest Service issued a high-danger warning for the area.

It is unknown whether Hart and his friends knew about the warnings when they began hiking and sledding in the new snow.

Marisa Nelson, 20, was pulled to safety unconscious, but was treated and released from Tahoe Forest Hospital in Truckee.

Efforts to revive Hart failed, and the senior from Dover, N.H., died at the same hospital.

As the storm continued Sunday, it apparently led to the death of Rhonda Boyd, 73, near the town of Lagunitas. A 100-foot tree, weakened by wind and rain, toppled and crushed the front half of Boyd’s Honda station wagon, killing her.

The woman’s 8-year-old niece, who was in the back seat, was unharmed.

As the rain continued through the day Monday, authorities kept watch on flood-prone rivers. But the region’s waterways seemed to have crested below dangerous levels.

The Napa River had reached flood stage in St. Helena on Sunday, but it rapidly receded and offered no continuing threat Monday, said John Volpi, coordinator of the Napa County Office of Emergency Services.

As a precaution, sandbags were deployed at strategic locations along the river, Volpi said.

In Sonoma County, where the Russian River regularly rages, “the river’s been cooperating,” said Sandy Covall, emergency services coordinator.

“It didn’t even make it to flood-warning stage,” she said. “In this current storm, there will be one more belt, but it’ll be real fast. . . . Then we’ll get some drying-out time and see what happens next.”

Times staff writer Maria L. La Ganga and Associated Press contributed to this story.