A huge winter storm has hit most of California, causing drenching rains in Southern Cal but further north there was major damage to a stretch of the most iconic highway in the U.S.

A portion of Highway 1, more commonly referred to as the PCH, or Pacific Coast Highway, literally collapsed and washed away near Big Sur Coast. Nearby in Carmel, homes were flooded when the Carmel River breached a sand levee.

More than 10 inches of rain fell in this area of Northern California, and California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an emergency proclamation for Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties.

In all, two people have died because of the storm, which essentially was an atmospheric river that unloaded huge amounts of rain all over the state, and blizzard like conditions in the mountains. Hundreds of thousands of people lost power.

As for when the PCH might be repaired and open for travel again, the California Department of Transportation told the AP there was no timetable of when it could happen.

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