yeah, so abnormal that it was happening just a few weeks ago.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/12/13/cal...des/index.html
EDIT: bottom line - this is not rare. california regularly receives all of these things. the only reason this different from all of the other cases is that this storm was larger and therefore effects more area and stronger therefore making it more continuous. ergo, normal and very obviously expected to happen every so often.