Pacific storm that unleashed flooding barreling down on southeastern California

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — A Pacific storm that pounded California’s coastal areas and stranded motorists was poised to pounce on the southeastern area of the state through Friday, bringing flood threats to a sweeping area extending from San Diego into the Mojave Desert and even into parts of Arizona. As millions of Californians scrambled to finish their holiday shopping or prepared to head out onto highways, the National Weather Service issued flood watches for low-lying urban areas and the deserts. Showers and thunderstorms could dump up to 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) of rain through the day, but the real concern was that some areas could be drenched with a half-inch to an inch (1.3 to 2.5 centimeters) of rain…