CNN
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Northern California was inundated with widespread flooding and power outages Powerful atmospheric river Water rescues barrel through the region, forcing several highway closures, evacuation warnings and shelter-in-place orders.
Despite the problems, the moisture is some relief for drought-stricken California The driest start to the year has been recorded 2022 ended with soaked roads, flooded rivers and thick mountain snow.
However, it remains to be seen how much the march of storms will affect California’s drought conditions.
Meanwhile, the storm, which also brought strong winds, left more than 300,000 homes and businesses without power across California and Nevada early Sunday. Resistor.U.S.
As streets flooded and river levels rose, the storm forced residents of several small communities in Northern California to leave their homes as evacuation orders and warnings were issued on New Year’s Eve.
On top of urban flooding, several rivers overflowed, including the Cosumnes and Mogelumne rivers and the Mormon Slough, according to the National Weather Service. Sacramento. A flash flood warning was issued for the southern Sacramento Valley and Sierra foothills.
At one point Saturday, authorities ordered residents of Wilton, about 20 miles from Sacramento. Evacuate the area immediately and be warned that rising water may spill over roads and cut off access to exit the area. Two hours later, Wilton residents were told to shelter in place after roads became “impassable”.
Three communities near the town of Watsonville were also told to evacuate Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office Due to creek flooding, residents in the communities of Paradise Park and Felton were evacuated as the San Lorenzo River rose.
In San Ramon, police used an armored recovery vehicle to evacuate residents from floodwaters.
“Flooding risks continue to increase as these rains continue with more road closures than can be counted at this time,” the NWS said Saturday, urging residents to stay alert amid reports of rockslides and mudslides in the foothills and road closures across the Sierra Pass.
Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District crews were busy Saturday, working on water rescues and responding to trees that fell on homes and cars, and drivers whose vehicles were disabled after driving through standing water, officials said.
Calling it a “hurricane”. Amador County Sheriff’s Office He shared a picture of cars in floodwaters up to their door handles, and said he had received complaints of flooding, mudslides and trees blocking roads.
Highway 50 reopened shortly after midnight, hours after a section between Pollock Pines and Meyers was closed due to flooding from the American River, and another section was closed in Echo Summit for avalanche control work.
According to the California Department of Transportation, “Interstate 80 was partially closed near the Nevada line Saturday afternoon due to multiple spinouts in Donner Summit.
US Highway 101 – one of California’s most popular thoroughfares – was temporarily closed in both directions south of San Francisco, the California Highway Patrol said, “due to persistent rainfall and high tides that have not receded.”
According to a tweet from the National Weather Service in Sacramento, residents were advised to avoid travel in Sacramento County and surrounding areas due to downed trees and debris-covered roads at 55 mph.
The county declared a state of emergency, saying the raging river had caused “significant traffic impacts, rising creek and river levels and flooding” in the Wilton area.
A atmospheric river A long, narrow region in the atmosphere that can carry moisture thousands of miles across the sky like a fire hose.
Downtown San Francisco received 5.46 inches Saturday, which means it’s on track It was the second wettest day on record in the region National Weather Service in the Gulf Region.
The heavy rain could move southward into Southern California on Saturday and Sunday, bringing winds of 30 to 50 mph.
As parts of Northern California experience heavy rainfall, dense snow piled up in the mountains.
A winter storm warning will remain in effect until 4 a.m. Sunday for the Sierra Nevada Mountains from Yosemite National Park to Tulare County, where travel will be extremely difficult and impossible, the weather service warned.
Snow accumulations of 1 to 2 feet are possible above 7,000 feet, and isolated accumulations of 5 feet are possible above 9,000 feet. Weather Service said.
The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab reported 7.5 inches of snow falling between 4 and 5 p.m. Saturday in Soda Springs, about 30 miles from Lake Tahoe. Heavy snow in the area.
More than 30 inches of snow fell on Saturday, according to unofficial measurements, the observatory said.
Mammoth Mountain’s main lodge received more than a foot of fresh snow Saturday, the ski resort said. FacebookHe added that all the lifts are covered in snow and the “avalanche risk is very high” so the work will be done all over the mountain.
On the Nevada State Line and Colfax, CHP reported “Hazardous and treacherous” driving conditions stranded dozens of vehicles on I-80 and county roads.
“Caltrans, CHP and Dove operators pulled out dozens of stranded vehicles on New Year’s Eve,” the California Department of Transportation said.
