Snow Closes California Highways, Yields Tornado

A winter storm brought driving rain to parts of California and even a rare tornado, but the severity of snowfall in much of the state caught drivers by surprise and left hundreds stranded on mountain highways. A late barrage of snow forced the shutdown of a 35-mile stretch of Highway 58 between Mojave and Bakersfield. The snow brought hundreds of vehicles to a stop and sent the patrol and road crews scrambling to the scene, where they were helping drivers to slowly exit near the mountainous region of Tehachapi. No injuries were reported.