The storm came ashore Sunday, blasting a wide swath of the West Coast with heavy rain, damaging winds, flooding, and mudslides. The San Francisco Bay area was inundated with flooding rains.
Some streets in Berkeley were knee-deep in water and the Bay Bridge toll plaza in Oakland was inundated. The National Weather Service in Sacramento warned of “potentially historic” rain for the city’s downtown, according to USA Today.
“Conditions will continue to deteriorate,” the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center warned in a tweet. “Strong winds, high surf, and heavy rain will lead to major impacts. Heavy snow in the Sierra starting tonight.”
The atmospheric river of strong winds and drenching rain is predicted to move south over the next few days. The weather service’s Sacramento office warned of “potentially historic rain.”
By sunrise on Sunday, Mount Tamalpais just north of San Francisco had recorded over 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rainfall during the previous 12 hours, the National Weather Service said on Twitter.
About 150 miles (241 kilometers) to the north, the California Highway Patrol closed State Route 70 in Butte County because of mudslides within the massive Caldor Fire burn scar.
“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.”
And speaking of mudslides – The Weather Service is warning that burned areas are a particular concern and land devoid of vegetation can’t soak up heavy rainfall very fast, reports the Sacramento Bee.
“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.”
Strong winds were also expected, with gusts of up to 60 mph (97 kph) at the windiest spots in Northern California. Elevations above 9,000 feet (2,745 meters) in the Sierra Nevada could get 18 inches of snow or more from Sunday until Monday morning.
All and all, 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.
According to KCRA3’s latest update, there are close to 12,000 customers without power in their viewing area, as of 11:45 a.m. local times.
