Erin Stone

As much as 7 inches of rain fell on parts of Southern California after the tropical storm arrived — leaving the region vulnerable to floods and mudslides . The effects of the storm are moving north.

About 6 million households in California face water restrictions this summer. But after years of drought conditions, some residents are adapting by planting yards that use less water.

Use less water: That's a direct order to some people in Southern California starting Wednesday. Faced with extreme drought, people there will be allowed to water twice a week for eight minutes.

On Monday morning, with much of the east coast of the U.S. under a thick blanket of snow, we asked our listeners for their weather stories. Rebecca Poston Creel, from South Carolina, wrote in with her family's story, and we thought it was one worth sharing with our listeners. This is what she said: 

My brother in law is terminally ill and we are afraid that this may be our last Christmas together. We celebrated the holiday on Sunday and all woke up to a blanket of snow!  In South Carolina it's a very uncommon event. It was so wonderful to play with our brother, his three-year-old daughter and the rest of the family, in the snow for the holiday. It may have been the best Christmas of our lives!  It was without a doubt a Christmas miracle for our family.