Winter storm strands 100+ drivers in Southern California

Wednesday, December 31, 2014, 11:37 AM - Up to 200 vehicles were towed and more than 130 people had to be rescued after a blustery winter storm stranded motorists on Southern California's steep, icy mountain roads, officials said Wednesday.

At one point, about 300 cars were struck on Highways 330 and 18 in Big Bear as snow began piling up from the storm, California Highway Patrol Officer Marcelo Llerena told the LA Times.

Between 150 and 200 cars were towed off the road and will have be picked up later by their owners, he said.

San Bernardino County firefighters, meanwhile, were busy rescuing more than 130 people who were trapped in about 30 cm of snow along Highway 138, which winds through the San Bernardino Mountains between Crestline and Silverwood Lake, said county fire department spokeswoman Tracey Martinez.

Nearly all of State Route 38 -- from Forest Falls Boulevard in Forest Falls to Big Bear Dam -- was closed late Tuesday as vehicles became stranded in the snow. 

This storm is part of the same system that's expected to bring wintry conditions to Las Vegas New Year's Eve.

Elsewhere in California, two people were killed after high winds brought trees down like dominoes:

With files from the LA Times and CNN