AccuWeather is wrapping up live coverage of the deadly storms in California. The strongest atmospheric river yet slammed the state, and AccuWeather meteorologists warn of more flooding to come. For additional coverage, stream AccuWeather NOW anytime on our website. Stay up to date on the latest weather in your area by downloading the AccuWeather mobile app and visiting AccuWeather.com. And keep an eye on weather news and forecasts by following AccuWeather on:
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Kim Ochoa leaves her Merced, Calif., home, which is surrounded by floodwaters, as storms continue battering the state on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Storms in California have continued to increase snowpack conditions across the Sierra Nevada, according to data from the California Department of Water Resources. Nearly 30 stations across the state have recorded their largest snowpack on record to date. The northern Sierra snowpack climbed to 176% of normal for Jan. 10, and the central and southern Sierra saw even bigger departures from average snowpack for the date at 214% and 257% of normal, respectively. The National Weather Service’s San Diego office noted that Mammoth Mountain has more snow than the prior three seasons, with snow depth at nearly 20 feet. Snowmelt that comes from this snowpack increase is an important water source to keep streams flowing in warmer months and replenishes reservoirs. One-third of water used by California cities and farmland comes from melted snowpack.
Storms have not let up in California over the past few weeks, causing widespread flooding and leading many to believe that the state’s ongoing drought may be coming to an end soon. However, officials announced Tuesday that it may take much more rain and snow for that to happen. “California is experiencing coincidentally both a drought emergency and a flood emergency,” said Karla Nemeth, director of the California Department of Water Resources. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 71 percent of California is still experiencing what the monitor terms as severe, extreme or exceptional drought — the three most severe tiers of drought status. The California Department of Water Resources states that most of the state’s largest reservoirs are still below average, including Lake Oroville, which has risen 77 feet since Dec. 1, 2022, but is only at 44% capacity with plenty of room to store more water.
The California Department of Water Resources says despite all of the recent rain, it could be a while before the state is out of a drought emergency.
“Our larger reservoirs are really depleted from this extreme drought, to get them to the top of conservation would take more storms,” said state climatologist Dr. Michael Anderson. At least three more storms are in line for California before the end of January, which will give officials more information on what is needed to end drought conditions. “As our traditionally wet season progresses … and we have a better understanding of what’s happening in different parts of the state, relative to water supply availability, that’s how we’ll start to emerge out of a drought emergency,” Nemeth said.
Downed trees have been a pain for many across California during the latest round of storms, including in the state’s most populated county. In Los Angeles County, the Pasadena Fire Department shared photos Tuesday of a large tree that landed on two vehicles, including a Servpro services vehicle, crushing the back of the van. The downed tree took up the entire street in Pasadena, but did not cause any injuries or structural damage.
A large tree crashed down onto two vehicles on Oak Knoll Avenue in Pasadena, California, on Tuesday. (Pasadena Fire Department)
U.S. Route 101 remains blocked in the Southern California community of Montecito Tuesday, after heavy mud, rocks and debris from flooded creeks flowed over the roads. According to AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell, CalTrans and contractors have been working around the clock to clear the streets, with one family stuck in their car at a ramp for hours waiting for roads to reopen. Powerful storms have kept numerous freeways and highways closed across the state, including Highway 1, which is closed in spots such as Huntington Beach, Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Monterey County. Other roads that remain closed as of Tuesday include Highway 2 in the Topanga area, Malibu Canyon in Los Angeles County, and both Highway 154 and Highway 192 in Santa Barbara County.
Road crews are hauling out tons of mud, rocks and debris from flooding along Highway 101 in Montecito, California.
A Northern California county has declared a local disaster due to weeks of storms causing local flooding and damage to local roadways. The declaration in Tehama County, approximately 125 miles north of Sacramento, covers storms that began on Dec. 27, 2022, and continued through this week, with more storms forecasted to strike the county throughout the week. According to county Sheriff Dave Kain, infrastructure issues and damage were sustained in the southern portion of the county. “Based on the low-level flooding that we have, some of the debris and roadway issues that we have had within the county, and the potential for additional storms on the horizon, we feel that it is prudent … to declare an emergency based on the totality of circumstances for the benefit of our county,” Kain said. County supervisors voted unanimously for the declaration.
Power has been cut to hundreds of thousands of people across California, but crews working in the elements are helping to restore electricity. Statewide outages topped 220,000 on Tuesday morning, but that number fell to around 180,000 as of midday, according to PowerOutage.us. Over 41,000 outages have been reported in Santa Clara County, accounting for more than 20% of all power outages across California. To the south of Santa Clara County, over 5,200 of the 16,000 customers in San Benito County are in the dark, or nearly one-in-three electric customers across the county. People using a generator while waiting for power to be restored should follow proper safety guidelines to reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Drenching rains, widespread flooding, powerful winds and dangerous mudslides. Images from across California tell the story of this fierce storm’s impact on residents and property, capturing the full scale of destruction. AccuWeather meteorologists have warned that the moisture-packed system could be the strongest in a Pacific storm train that has been rolling since late December.
Kim Ochoa leaves her Merced, Calif., home, which is surrounded by floodwaters, as storms continue battering the state on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A section of Los Angeles County was hit by a dangerous mudslide Tuesday, forcing a shelter-in-place order for residents. The mudslide occurred in Studio City, home to celebrities such as George Clooney and William Shatner, along Fredonia Drive as public works crews were out attempting to clear the roads.
A man in heavy rain jumps over mudslide and rushing water from hillside in front of his home along North Fredonia Drive on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, in Studio City, California. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Along with the large mounds of mud, downed trees could be seen along the road and outside several homes. Fredonia Drive was flooded out as well, with water nearly submerging vehicles in some spots. Flood conditions were also seen on another Studio City street, covering cars in muddy waters.
A mudslide flooded parts of Fredonia Drive in Studio City during the storm on Tuesday. (Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The search and rescue mission for a missing 5-year-old boy in San Luis Obispo County resumed Tuesday, with the local sheriff’s office putting “all available resources” into finding him. Kyle Doan was swept away by floodwaters near San Miguel on Monday, and search operations were forcibly suspended after “extreme weather conditions” made it unsafe for first responders to continue efforts.
A break in the storms barreling down on Southern California has allowed search efforts to resume, with the sheriff’s office noting that an underwater search and rescue team will be part of the mission, along with air operations. Conditions in the area remain “extremely dangerous,” the sheriff’s office noted, with water levels still high. “The public is strongly cautioned not to conduct self-initiated searches and put themselves in harm’s way, and become a victim requiring resources that would otherwise be used for searching,” the office said on its Facebook page Tuesday.
Four people had to be rescued from a 15-foot sinkhole after a flooded road collapsed in a Los Angeles suburb following the drenching rain that has flooded areas across the state. The massive sinkhole opened in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Chatsworth just after 7 p.m. local time Monday, swallowing two vehicles. The two occupants of a pickup truck were able to climb out of the sinkhole.
A car and a pickup truck are seen inside a sinkhole as another storm created by a series of atmospheric rivers inundates California on Tuesday in Los Angeles, California. (David McNew/Getty Images)
Two others in another vehicle - a woman and a young girl - were rescued by about 50 firefighters who used a high-angle rope and an aerial ladder. Andrew Wordin, a battalion chief for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said both the girl and woman were transported to a hospital with minor injuries. Both vehicles remained in the sinkhole as of Tuesday. The road will remain closed for an “undetermined duration” while city officials evaluate and determine the repairs needed, ABC7 reported.
Jeff Hessenlnk, a tractor-trailer driver from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was on his way to Los Angeles before the recent rain affected his journey. Hessenlnk told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell that he stopped driving once he got to Santa Barbara because of the water on the roadways — something Hessenlnk has only done twice in the 29 years he’s been doing this. “It was fine until I got to Santa Barbara, and the water was coming across the road,” Hesselnk said. Hesselnk said he will continue his route once the roadways open back up.
In between the rounds of heavy rain, Peter Butler and his friends decided to get out and spend some time on the Monterey Peninsula Country Club in Pebble Beach, California, which is located south of San Francisco. But before they could finish the 14th hole, a large wave came crashing down on the coastal golf course. “It’s going to hit us dude,” one person said as the group watched a large wave come crashing down on the course. The three golfers went running inland to escape the incoming water and the video eventually turned to show their swamped golf carts. A coastal flood warning was in effect for Monterey on Monday when Butler and his friends were playing golf, according to the NWS office in the Bay Area.
A round of golf in Pebble Beach was interrupted by huge waves coming from California’s storm-hit coast on Jan. 5.
As a storm continues to pummel California, many watches and warnings remain in place. These range from high wind warnings to flash flood warnings, and even avalanche warnings in the Sierra Nevada. AccuWeather Broadcast Meteorologist Kristina Shalhoup discusses the latest with the current storm and details when the next round of storms will impact the hard-hit state.
AccuWeather forecasters warn more storms will take aim at the hard-hit state, increasing the threat of flooding and mudslides.
At least two people were killed Tuesday morning after a large tree fell on the northbound side of Highway 99 near Visalia, California. “The tree hit a motorcycle and a pickup, killing both drivers,” KMPH reported. According to the news source, three other vehicles were involved in the crash, but only minor injuries were reported. No additional details were available.
After a summer of extreme heat and drought, rounds of relentless storms are drenching California. “We have crazy fires in the summertime and then this in the wintertime, it would be nice to have a little bit of a balance, but this is extreme for around here,” Marcel Waite, a Santa Cruz resident told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell on Monday. The persistent atmospheric rivers have created dangerous mudslides, left streets flooded and swept away numerous vehicles. The San Lorenzo River, which flows through Santa Cruz, was left overflowing and as more rain poured down on Monday, nearby residents stayed alert. “It’s very dangerous and people do not realize how quick the river can rise,” Dianne Dias, a Santa Cruz resident, told Wadell. Dias, who has lived in the area her whole life, lived through the 1955 flood, which occurred just a few days before Christmas. “I was here when they had the 1955 flood. Lost my house, lost my dog, lost everything, [but] this, I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Thousands of families were ordered to evacuate due to flash flooding and the threat of rock slides across California on Jan. 9.
As this latest atmospheric river unleashes heavy rain across the lower elevations of California, snow has been falling atop the higher elevations. Over the past 24 hours, 26 inches of snow has fallen in Mammoth Lakes, a town located within California’s southern Sierra Nevada. Just down the street, at the Mammoth Mountain Ski resort, only 18 inches of snow has fallen in the past 24 hours. At least 14 inches of snow has fallen in Willow Creek, which is a town located in northwestern California. Soda Springs, California, situated in the northern Sierra Nevada, also received 14 inches of snow over the past 24 hours.
On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom confirmed that the series of storms, which started on New Year’s Eve, has resulted in at least 14 fatalities across the state. According to a press release from the governor’s office, these recent storms have claimed more lives than wildfires in the past two years combined have. “Today marks five years since the deadly Montecito mudslides that claimed 23 lives – as Montecito faces evacuations today, it’s a solemn reminder of how quickly conditions can change,” Newsom said, urging residents to stay “hyper-vigilant.”
Kim Ochoa leaves her Merced, Calif., home, which is surrounded by floodwaters, as storms continue battering the state on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
The 2022 college football season came to an end Monday night as the Georgia Bulldogs thumped the TCU Horned Frogs by a score of 65-7 in the College Football Playoff National Championship. The title game was played at the state-of-the-art SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. Although the stadium has a roof, it is an indoor/outdoor venue, meaning parts of the stadium’s exterior walkways are exposed to the elements.
That became an issue last night as strong winds blew rain into the concourses of the stadium. According to videos shared on Twitter by Arash Markazi, the founder and CEO of The Sporting Tribune, the floor became slippery last night due to the wet weather and several people reportedly fell and needed to be helped out of the stadium on stretchers. The severity of the injuries is unclear. Markazi posted another video from the upper levels of SoFi Stadium showing fierce winds carrying rain into the stadium. No weather impacts were reported during the game.
As a line of thunderstorms rumbled across California Tuesday morning, two tornado warnings woke up many residents south of Sacramento. One of the warnings was located just northeast of Stockton, while the other warning was for the Modesto area. The emergency alert was sent out just after 3:30 a.m. local time to the estimated 413,081 people who were in the warned areas, waking many up. The last tornado warning issued in the National Weather Service (NWS) Sacramento area was on April 21, 2022, according to AccuWeather Senior Weather Editor Jesse Ferrell.
Correction: A previous version of this post said the most recent tornado warning issued by the National Weather Service office in Sacramento was in June 2022. The last tornado warning issued there was on April 21, 2022.
At least one fatality has been confirmed as severe weather continues to bring significant flooding and mudslides to California. A woman was killed when a vehicle was overtaken by water in Avila Beach, which is about 180 miles north of Los Angeles, NBC News reported. Details such as the name and age of the woman were not shared “Our final message to everyone is if you do not have to travel, please stay off the roadways,” San Luis Obispo County Emergency Services Manager Scott Jalbert said, according to KSBY.
As more rounds of flooding rain and strong wind gusts move onshore, power outages have been one of the major issues across the Golden State in recent days. Already this week, over 500,000 customers have lost power at some point during the storm, with the highest concentration being in the Sacramento metro area.
On Monday, over 100,000 remained without service, and that number climbed to nearly 200,000 early Tuesday morning. Nearly half of the state's outages on Tuesday were in Santa Clara County, which includes the city of San Jose.
With strong wind gusts expected to continue through much of the day Tuesday, forecasters warn that the threat of power outages will continue.
With rain pounding down on Santa Barbara, California, on Monday, schools across the area decided to shut down early for the day. All Santa Barbara County public schools will be closed on Tuesday, with decisions about school closures to be made on a school-by-school basis outside of a mandatory evacuation order. UC Santa Barbara canceled classes for the remainder of Monday, as well as Tuesday. “Please be safe and take good care during this challenging weather,” college officials wrote on Twitter. Other schools that canceled classes on Monday include La Colina Junior High School, Santa Barbara Middle School and Laguna Bianca. Montecito Union School was also evacuated of all staff and students.
As heavy rain continues to sweep through Southern California, Ventura County has received some of the most severe conditions in the region. As of early Tuesday morning, over 9 inches of rain have fallen in portions of the county, with more still to come.
In addition to river and street flooding which is a common hazard with such high rain totals, the Golden State's hilly terrain has also led to a threat of mudslides. This threat became a reality Sunday evening, when a wave of mud and debris struck several vehicles on a road in the county.
Despite causing damage to the vehicles, there were fortunately no injuries as a result. Those who live in areas prone to mudslides should closely monitor weather conditions, and heed any evacuation orders that are issued.
On Monday, California State Parks officials said that many of the state’s parks will be temporarily closed due to this week’s dangerous storms. A total of 41 parks are fully closed as of Monday, with 44 more partially closed until further notice.
Big Basin Redwoods State Park is just one of the many California parks either fully or partially closed due to dangerous storms throughout the state. (Photo by Dan Coyro/MediaNews Group/Santa Cruz Sentinel)
In the Bay Area, popular destinations such as Angel Island, Candlestick Point and Big Basin Redwoods have been impacted by the closures. In Santa Cruz County, which has been pounded by storms over the past week, nine parks have been fully closed, including Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park. “Multiple significant wind and rainstorms may make a dangerous landfall this week,” the Parks agency stated. “Please postpone your recreational activities for another time.”
Rainfall totals have reached nearly 10 inches in some areas of Southern California as of Monday evening local time.
In Santa Barbara and Ventura counties just north of Los Angeles, five communities saw a precipitation range of 7.48 inches in Fillmore to 9.8 inches of rain in the city of Ojai, according to AccuWeather data. Santa Barbara saw 9.72 inches in the 24-hour period. Officials were warning of dangerous flash flooding in the region.
The community of Montecito in Santa Barbara County, California, is under an evacuation order, with those who cannot escape and on higher ground asked to shelter in place. One of Montecito’s most famous residents, comedian and former television host Ellen DeGeneres, captured video outside of her home in the community, showcasing rushing waters from a creek. “This creek next to our home never flows, ever … stay safe, everybody.” The evacuation order comes on the fifth anniversary of deadly mudslides, which killed 23 people in Montecito. Along with DeGeneres, many celebrities call Montecito home, such as Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry and wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
Ellen DeGeneres shared a video of flash flooding near her home in Montecito, California, on Jan. 9, 2023.
Authorities said the search and rescue mission for a missing 5-year-old boy in San Luis Obispo County has been "temporarily suspended” due to rising water levels of the Salinas River that are proving too dangerous for divers. The search was called off around 3 p.m. PST Monday, the county Sheriff’s Office said. The boy was reported missing Monday after being swept away by floodwaters in the morning. Tom Swanson, assistant chief of the Cal Fire/San Luis Obispo County Fire Department, said the boy’s mother was driving a truck when it became stranded in floodwaters just before 8 a.m. near Paso Robles. Bystanders were able to pull the mother out of the truck, Swanson said, but the boy was swept out of the vehicle and downstream. One of the boy’s shoes was discovered by a firefighter during the search.
One California mayor has taken her community’s needs to the public in a unique way. On Saturday, San Mateo Mayor Amourence Lee launched a GoFundMe page titled “Support San Mateo Flood Victims,” stating that “too many” of the city’s residents and business owners are “struggling” during severe rounds of storms. “I believe in the generosity and resiliency of our community,” Lee said on the fundraiser page. “We cannot wait for FEMA or the State, we need to step up when we see our neighbors and our local businesses in need.” With over $28,000 raised as of Monday, Lee plans on asking for an emergency study session to discuss fund allocations during the city’s next City Council meeting.
A California Highway Patrol officer captured incredible footage of a huge landslide in Fresno County Monday afternoon. Boulders and smaller rocks mixed with mud and debriscan be seen suddenly rushing down a mountainside near Shaver Lake, crashing onto the rain-drenched state Route 168 below. No vehicles were in the area at the time and no injuries were reported. A deluge of heavy precipitation over the past 24 hours has loosened an already saturated ground in many parts of the state, making many surfaces dangerously unstable.
Fourteen people have been rescued from the swollen Ventura River in Ventura, California, Monday, with dramatic footage showing first responders in the rising waters. The first seven victims were freed from the river while the other seven were evaluated for rescue. Those rescued were airlifted to a local hospital. Crews were on the scene evaluating the area for potential damages. The rescue was a collaboration between the Ventura County Fire Department, the Oxnard Fire Department and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials with San Luis Obispo County, which is currently under a local emergency, announced during a Monday briefing that a 5-year-old child has gone missing. Officials said the child was reported missing after a family was impacted by rushing water in the northern part of the county. The county’s Sheriff’s Office is currently conducting a search and rescue operation around the area to find the child.
During the briefing, County Administrator Wade Horton also stated that the claimed local state of emergency allows the county to request state and federal aid from the current storms. The city of San Luis Obispo, as well as the city of Atascadero, have issued shelter-in-place orders as of Monday.
Power outages have been an ongoing issue throughout California, with over 100,000 tracked customers impacted as of Monday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.US. Pacific Gas and Electric Company, which provides power for much of the state, updated customers Monday on their efforts to keep the lights on through yet another atmospheric river. Executive Vice President Adam Wright stated that it is “highly unusual to have this kind of intense swarm activity in such quick succession,” and that trees weakened by drought and saturated soil have come down, creating power loss from downed wires and poles.
“We have been working nonstop before New Year’s Eve (to) respond to this series of storms,” Wright said. “(Our workers) are battling these conditions even as their homes and hometowns are affected. I also want to say thank you to all the first responders who are working on the same incredibly difficult conditions right now. I appreciate everyone’s resolve and tenacity.” In San Rafael, nearly 10,000 different outages have been caused by downed trees, broken poles and other impacts on electrical equipment, with crews working to restore power as quickly as possible.
In Southern California, San Luis Obispo County has been hit with rains that have flooded local vineyards and forced road closures, leading to the county’s emergency services director to proclaim a local emergency for the county. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for the county until 4:45 p.m. PST, with county officials noting that current conditions are “dangerous” and “life threatening.” As water levels rise in the county, officials also asked residents to stay off roads if possible, as emergency crews are attempting to make rescues and respond to critical incidents. Among the road closures is a closure of Highway 1, closed in both directions at San Bernardo Creek Road.
The Sacramento Zoo announced on Twitter that it will be closed through Tuesday, Jan. 10 as the team cleans up storm damage. “All animals and staff are safe, but it will take a couple of days to get through all of the downed limbs and do some necessary tree work,” the tweet read along with a photo of large tree branches down at the zoo. Storm chaser Brandon Clement captured similar images of massive trees and limbs down across Sacramento on Sunday into Monday. Watch a compilation of damage Clement captured here.
The mountains of California have already had several wind gusts in the triple digits through Monday afternoon, less than a week after brutal winds toppled trees during a bomb cyclone. The top California wind gust observed over the past 24 hours took place at Palisades-Tahoe, with an incredible 127 mph speed. This gust nearly topped last week’s high wind gust of 132 mph at Alpine Meadows. Other top gusts, all over 100 mph, were recorded at Mammoth Mountain (115 mph), Kirkwood Mountain (109 mph) and Heavenly Ski Resort in South Lake Tahoe (102 mph). The current storm is forecast to produce wind gusts of 60-80 mph along coastal areas and gusts of 40-60 mph in interior areas.
The onslaught of rain Monday has flooded communities large and small across California. Places such as Montecito, Santa Barbara County, north of Los Angeles, have already received over 5 inches of rain since 3 a.m. Monday, officials said, with the heaviest rain yet to come this afternoon and evening for most of the state. An immediate evacuation order has been issued for all of Montecito, parts of Carpinteria, Summerland and the city of Santa Barbara. Evacuation orders or warnings also have been issued for residents of several other areas, including Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Monterey, and Solano counties.
As impacts from the West Coast storm continue, flooding is seen in several areas with rivers quickly rising.
Major flooding was reported in Felton Grove and Paradise Park in Santa Cruz County after the San Lorenzo River spilled over its banks, while other rivers and creeks were pushed to flood stage.
AccuWeather meteorologists say an additional 4-8 inches of rain may fall on many of the coastal ranges, as well as the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, after the deluge from last week’s storms. An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 14 inches is forecast from the current system.
Football fanatics from across the country have descended on Inglewood, California, for the College Football Playoff National Championship, but their dreams of a sun-bathed atmosphere have gone away due to the atmospheric river slamming California. Rain is expected to continue in the Los Angeles area throughout Monday, with over 2 inches of rain hitting the coastlines north of the area throughout the overnight and morning hours. During the 4 p.m. hour when the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Texas Christian Horned Frogs kicks off, the rain will be accompanied by wind gusts of 19 mph. Conditions are much more favorable in the two colleges' campus cities of Athens, Georgia, (no chance of rain with a Monday high of 57) and Fort Worth, Texas (no chance of rain with a Monday high of 71).
All classes at California Polytechnic State University were canceled Monday due to “storm conditions,” according to an emergency alert. “All non-essential functions will be closed. “Essential operations will continue,” Cal Poly added in a tweet. The campus is located in the central coast city of San Luis Obispo where a flood advisory was in effect.
Two storm-related deaths were reported over the weekend in Sacramento County. Both victims were unhoused individuals and were found with trees on top of their tents, according to local officials. Rebekah Rohde, aged 40, was critically injured after a tree fell on her around 6:45 p.m. Saturday evening, with fire officials stating that rain and wind likely caused the tree to fall. Rohde was taken to a trauma facility and was later announced dead from her injuries. The second victim, 61-year-old Steven Sorensen, died Sunday. The deaths took place roughly a week after an atmospheric river storm claimed three lives in the county.
Santa Cruz County has been hit hard by the storm rolling into the West Coast as heavy rain prompted damaging flooding and mudslides. The Browns Valley Road Bridge was the latest structure to fall, with a video from CAL FIRE showing how one end of the road had snapped from its side of the river, the rest plunging into the water. “Our crews responded and made contact with the people who live in the area,” CAL FIRE said in the tweet. “The alternative route is Las Colinas Drive.”
Streets turned into rivers and cars were submerged as the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz County overflowed and created torrential flooding in the Felton Grove neighborhood Monday morning. At least 30 homes were evacuated in Felton Grove due to the rising water levels. “We now have waterfront property,” Al Orenga, a Felton Grove resident, told KTVU. “We’ve never had it this bad.” The water was so high in some parts of the neighborhood, it touched the stop signs. First responders could be seen launching jet skis into the flooded roadways to rescue stranded homeowners.
In an aerial view, cars are submerged in floodwater after heavy rain moved through the area on Jan. 9, 2023 in Windsor, California. The San Francisco Bay Area continues to get drenched by powerful atmospheric river events that have brought high winds and flooding rains. The storms have toppled trees, flooded roads and cut power to tens of thousands of residents. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
As an atmospheric river continues to bring heavy rainfall to California, AccuWeather radar shows the heaviest of the rain falling between Sacramento and Los Angeles, while snow is confined to the higher elevations. “Heavy rain is causing a rough morning commute with wet & flooded roadways,” the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Sacramento wrote on Twitter. AccuWeather forecasters warn the moisture-packed storm will continue bringing heavy rain to the Golden State through at least Tuesday.
Severe flooding is wreaking havoc across Santa Cruz on Monday and county and state officials are urging residents to avoid unnecessary travel. “Travel will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, throughout the county this morning. We are urging people to stay at home if possible,” officials said in a Twitter post. Multiple evacuation shelters have been opened in the county. First responders were responding to multiple emergencies in the area and numerous roadways were reported as impassable.
The California Highway Patrol Santa Cruz division shared multiple videos of flooded intersections. The highway patrol also said it had to institute an emergency closure of a stretch of Highway 1 due to a log jam that occurred on the rising San Lorenzo River near the highway.
The Sierra Avalanche Center said there is a high risk of avalanches in the mountain range through Tuesday night as widespread areas of unstable snow are expected. The warning covers an area from “Central Sierra Nevada Mountains between Yuba Pass (Hwy 49) on the north and Ebbetts Pass (Hwy 4) on the south, including the greater Lake Tahoe area,” the center said. “Travel in, near, or below avalanche terrain is not recommended.” The center’s warning scale ranges from 1 (low) to 5 (extreme). The current risk has been given a rating of 4 (high). Multiple wind slab avalanches have occurred over the past two days, according to observations documented by the center.
Santa Cruz County, located south of San Francisco, was still cleaning up following the bomb cyclone that struck the West Coast last week when the flooding threat was renewed Monday. “It’s pretty significant,” David Reid, the director of the county’s Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience, told AccuWeather Prime Host Adam Del Rosso about the damage from last week’s storm. “Around the county, we’ve had impacts from landslides and debris flows. We’ve had our coastal impacts that a lot of folks have seen over social media, and we’ve had some river flooding in our south county area that’s impacting hundreds and hundreds of residents already.”
Videos and images posted over social media have shown floodwaters transforming roads into rivers, massive waves tearing into wharfs and piers and even a vehicle trapped in mud following a debris flow. But the danger isn’t over just yet. “Right now the forecasting is indicating that the amount of rain is really going to impact our two big drainages, our big river systems — the Pajaro River in our south county region and the San Lorenzo River in our north county region, so we’re really looking closely at the extent of potential flooding in those two drainages,” Reid said.
Nearly the entire county was placed under a flash flood warning on Monday, and by that morning, the San Lorenzo River was at flood stage and evacuations began in the Felt Grove and Paradise Park areas. In the southern portion of the county, the rising water levels at Soquel Creek reached action stage, prompting evacuation orders for surrounding low-lying areas. “We want to make sure that people remain prepared to evacuate, aware of our alert warning systems that are out there and be ready to respond if we need to get you out of harm’s way,” Reid said, adding that people who live in low-lying areas around the county should prepare for the impacts of potential flooding.
Santa Cruz County was hit especially hard by the bomb cyclone that slammed into California from Jan. 4-5, with landslides, flooding and pier-breaking waves.
Snowy conditions created treacherous travel on roadways across the higher elevations in California this past weekend. Footage recorded by storm Chaser Brandon Clement captured motorists trying to navigate the snowy roads and highways in the Sierra Nevada. On Interstate 80, a line of motorists could be seen slowly moving along as police officers were assisting other vehicles that had slid off the roadway. Signs along the highway warned motorists to take it slow as ice and snow were reported falling in the area. As more snow is expected through Tuesday, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) has required chains or traction devices for all vehicles traveling on I-80. “Be prepared, pack your patience, and if you must travel, go safely,” the CHP said on their website.
Vehicles were delayed and even stuck after snowfall delayed travel in Donner Pass, California.
Santa Cruz County emergency management officials say the rapidly rising levels of Corralitos Creek, Salsipuedes Creek and Aptos Creek and intense rainfall rates have prompted the evacuation orders. A full list of areas under the evacuation order can be found at community.zonehaven.com. “Remaining in evacuated areas could cause a risk to personal safety,” the press release said. The Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds and Cabrillo College are two of the evacuation centers open to the public. As of Monday morning, floodwaters have created dangerous conditions for those in Santa Cruz County. Water rescues were underway as multiple reports of people trapped in cars and residences emerged, Santa Cruz emergency management officials told AccuWeather.
As another major storm socks California with heavy rain and snow, AccuWeather forecasters warn that strong winds will continue to be a detriment. Less than a week ago, a bomb cyclone sent trees toppling and power outage numbers rising as it unleashed ferocious winds. In the highest elevations, winds well over 100 mph were recorded. At Alpine Meadows, California, a wind gust of 132 mph topped the list of the strongest observed gusts from the storm.
The current storm is forecast to produce wind gusts of 60-80 mph along the coastal areas, with interior parts of California likely to receive gusts ranging from 40-60 mph. An AccuWeather local StormMax™ of 110 mph is forecast in some higher elevations. “Traveling along winding, secondary roads in hilly areas will likely be hazardous due to flash flooding and debris flows,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff stated.
Snowpack conditions across the Sierra Nevada in California continued to tick upward following a winter storm that impacted the high elevations last week. Snowfall totals have greatly increased since Nov. 1, 2022, when there was no snow in the Sierra Nevada snowpack. The southern Sierra holds the highest percentage of normal snowpack for the date at 219%, according to the California Department of Water Resources. About 20.4 inches of average snow water equivalent is reported in the region. The central Sierra stands at 196% of normal for the date while the northern Sierra/Trinity is currently recording 149%.
An atmospheric river may sound whimsical and have the potential to bring some much-needed moisture to the West, but it can often spark flooding or dangerous snowfall totals. These massive plumes of moisture originate some 2,500 miles from the U.S. West Coast in the tropical Pacific Ocean and move eastward. While the West is in desperate need of moisture to quench the ongoing drought and buff up the snowpacks, the weather setup can lead to excessive rainfall and flooding or even shut down travel with heavy snowfall.
This image shows the atmospheric river impacting California on Jan. 9, 2023.
U.S. President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for California following last week’s train of storms. Over the past month, storm after storm has slammed the Pacific Coast with flooding rainfall and fierce winds, one of which strengthened into a bomb cyclone on Wednesday. The storms have killed at least 12 people, according to Reuters, and knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of people. As of Monday, over 100,000 customers in the state remain without electricity, according to PowerOutage.US. The declaration authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts and mobilize emergency resources.
