La Canada Flintridge, Calif. (AP) - The winds and rain are easing up in California, lessening the threat of mudslides.

The National Weather Service has let a flash flood warning expire in a part of Santa Barbara County scorched by a recent wildfire, but forecasters warn there could still be bursts of rain that could bring flooding.

In the area of last month's massive station fire in Los Angeles County, the rain tapered off to a heavy drizzle, and one resident says things are ``in pretty good shape.'' There had been fears that the rain would cause mud and debris to rush down bare hillsides.

The rain did make a mess of the morning commute. The California Highway Patrol said there were 186 traffic crashes in Los Angeles County during a six-hour period early this morning, compared with 19 crashes during the same period on a dry day a week ago.

And high winds also knocked out power to more than 250,000 residents throughout the state.
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