Drought-stricken California doused by major storm
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Drenching rain and strong winds accompanied the arrival of an atmospheric river — a long and wide plume of moisture pulled in from the Pacific Ocean that was predicted to move south over the next few days. The weather service's Sacramento office warned of "potentially historic rain."
Roughly 165,448 California utility customers were without power Sunday afternoon.
Flooding was reported across the San Francisco Bay Area, closing streets in Berkeley and inundating the Bay Bridge toll plaza in Oakland. By sunrise on Sunday, Mount Tamalpais just north of San Francisco had recorded over 6 inches of rainfall during the previous 12 hours, the National Weather Service tweeted.
The city of San Francisco ordered evacuations on a street where a 100-foot tree threatened to topple.
The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge was the site of an overturned commercial vehicle Sunday, reportedly caused by wind.
Correcting a Tweet from earlier.
This is video of overturned vehicle on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge pic.twitter.com/ygwiBKr6OA
— Sergio Quintana (@svqjournalist) October 24, 2021
Inundated by rain, the Oakland Zoo closed its doors to visitors Sunday.
About 150 miles to the north, the California Highway Patrol closed State Route 70 in Butte County because of mudslides within the massive Caldor Fire burn scar.
Drone video shows aftermath of landslide that shutdown California highway
Near the Nevada state line, a tractor trailer collided with the wall of a bridge on Interstate 80, sending a fireball onto the road below and snarling traffic on the major thoroughfare, the CHP said. No one was injured in the accident.
Just when you think you have seen it all at Floriston…
Sometimes there aren't even words. It's amazing no one got hurt!
Expect a significant slow down on I-80 eastbound at Floriston due to a truck which collided with the bridge wall and caught fire. pic.twitter.com/lyPaujlGxQ
— CHP Truckee (@CHP_Truckee) October 24, 2021
"We have already had several collisions this morning for vehicles hydroplaning, numerous trees falling, and several roadways that are experiencing flooding," tweeted the highway patrol's office in Oroville. "If you can stay home and off the roads today, please do. If you are out on the roads, please use extreme caution."
Burn areas remain a concern, as land devoid of vegetation can't soak up heavy rainfall as quickly, increasing the likelihood of mudslides and flash flooding that could trap people.
"If you are in the vicinity of a recent burn scar and haven't already, prepare now for likely debris flows," the weather service said on Twitter. "If you are told to evacuate by local officials, or you feel threatened, do not hesitate to do so. If it is too late to evacuate, get to higher ground."
Multiple sections of state route 70 in Northern California were shut down as a result of rocks and debris on the roadway.
Flash flood watches were in effect Sunday from the North Bay to Big Sur in Monterey County.
In Santa Rosa, north of San Francisco, more than 3 inches of rain caused flooding, and authorities ordered the evacuation of 95 homes and an apartment complex, Mayor Chris Rogers tweeted.
A swift-water rescue team assisted with a few evacuations, he said.
Multiple creeks and streets flooding throughout Santa Rosa. Avoid unnecessary travel. | Multiples arroyos y calles inundadas a traves de Santa Rosa. Evite viajes innecesarios. https://t.co/xQ5ELqKU4Apic.twitter.com/5cKzmkmvZm
— Santa Rosa Fire Department (@SantaRosaFire) October 24, 2021
In the Mammoth Lakes area of the Sierra Nevada, snowflakes fell with the rain.
South of San Francisco, evacuation orders were in effect in the Santa Cruz Mountains over concerns that several inches of rain could trigger debris flows in the CZU Lightning Complex Fire burn scar. Further south, parts of western Santa Barbara County were under an evacuation warning in the area burned by this month's Alisal Fire.
Strong winds were also expected, with gusts of up to 60 mph at the windiest spots in Northern California. Elevations above 9,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada could get 18 inches of snow or more from Sunday until Monday morning.
In Fresno County, in the Central Valley, sheriff's officials "decided to put the entire Creek Fire burn scar area into evacuation warning status."
San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties were expected to receive as much as 3 inches of rain when the storm reached the area Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service.
The Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles tweeted that people in the area should be on the lookout for flash flooding.
Recent storms have helped contain some of the nation's largest wildfires this year. But it remains to be seen if the wet weather will make a dent in the drought that's plaguing California and the western United States. California's climate is hotter and drier now and that means the rain and snow that does fall is likely to evaporate or absorb into the soil.
California's 2021 water year, which ended Sept. 30, was the second driest on record and last year's was the fifth driest on record. Some of the state's most important reservoirs are at record low levels.
The Associated Press Dennis Romero and Tim Stelloh contributed.
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feast or famine, eh?
From the article: "California's climate is hotter and drier now and that means the rain and snow that does fall is likely to evaporate or absorb into the soil."
As usual, no scientific facts, figures, charts, or graphs to support this assertion.
Here in Sacramento we got 5.44" of rain yesterday breaking a record set in 1880. I know that's not too impressive for you guys down in the southern states but it's over half what we got all last year. It's a couple of weeks early this year too. It's not good for the grapes. A lot of the grapes are still out there on the vines and they're probably going to rot.
Yeah, our yearly average is about 65".
This year we have had over 80.
We've had a lot of rain this year, too
The average here is 12.14". Last year? Only 9.4"
I spent yesterday prepping for the storm. Now I am just enjoying it.