UPDATED: Slick Roads, Snow in Mountains as Cold Storm Moves Through Pass

Motorists in the Pass dealt with dangerous slick road surfaces on Interstate 10 and minor street flooding Friday night as rain and wind swept through Beaumont and Banning.

Four wrecks were reported between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. on westbound I-10 in Banning and Beaumont. The first was a white van that overturned just west of Ramsey Street at 8:06 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol. Cal Fire paramedics were summoned but there was no immediate information available about possible injuries.

The damaged van was on a flatbed tow truck on the roadside just before 9 p.m., as westbound traffic backed up to near the scales east of Ramsey.

At 8:34 p.m. another crash was reported on the 10 at Hargrave Street, according to the CHP. That crash scene cleared within minutes.

In Beaumont, two separate crashes were reported at 9:26 p.m. on the westbound 10 at Oak Valley Parkway and at 9:46 p.m. at the offramp, according to the CHP.

Authorities issued a flash flood watch for lower elevations in the San Gorgonio Pass and a winter storm warning in the mountains. Chain restrictions were in effect Friday night on Highway 243 above Banning to the junction with state Route 74 in Mountain Center, according to Caltrans.

Snow was visible on peaks to the northeast of Banning and Beaumont at elevations below 7,000 feet during a brief break in the rain at 5 p.m.

The heaviest rains were expected Friday night and into Saturday, with occasional downpours capable of rapid runoff, erosion, rock-laden debris flows and flooding in low-lying areas, the National Weather Service advised.

Just after 5 p.m., it was near 40 degrees in Cherry Valley, Beaumont and Banning. In Idyllwild and Pine Cove in the San Jacinto Mountains, temperatures near 32 degrees were recorded, according to the Weather Service.

Heavy rainfall, winds and up to a foot of snow were expected above 5,000-foot elevations with the storm, according to the Weather Service. Eighteen inches or more of snow were possible above 7,000 feet.

There was also potential for thunderstorm activity as the system moved through the Pass area overnight, according to Alex Tardy, a Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist. Winds sustained 20 to 35 miles per hour were possible, with gusts up to 60 mph at higher elevations.