California storm brings power outages, shuts down highway

Utility crews restored power to thousands of people Monday and mopped up the damage from a winter storm that swept through Northern California, as they braced for more stormy weather later this week.

A new wet system is expected in the region on Tuesday night that won't be as intense but two more powerful storms are expected over the weekend, National Weather Service forecaster Emily Heller said.

Strong winds and downed trees knocked out electricity for nearly 90,000 customers across the Sacramento region Sunday night. Toppled utility poles and trees prompted the temporary closure of a major highway.

By Monday afternoon, about 3,000 customers were still without power, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District said.

Spokeswoman Lindsay Van Laningham said the utility was getting ready for more potential work later this week.

"We'll have all hands on deck for crews to repair damages. We are ready for it, and we're sort of mopping up from today's storm and damage," she said.