The latest in a series of wet winter storms gained strength in California early Monday, with forecasters warning of possible flooding, hail, strong winds and even brief tornadoes as the system moves south over the next few days.
Quick Read
- A potent winter storm is intensifying in California, with forecasters predicting significant impacts including possible flooding, hail, strong winds, and brief tornadoes.
- Gusts exceeding 30 mph were recorded in Oakland and San Jose, signaling the arrival of a more powerful system following a milder cold front.
- The central coast of California faces a risk of significant flooding, with up to 5 inches of rain expected in many areas and isolated totals of 10 inches in mountain ranges.
- Thunderstorms around Sacramento could bring tornadoes, hail, heavy rain, lightning, and gusty winds, prompting advisories for residents to stay alert.
- Firefighters conducted rescues in Sloughhouse and El Dorado Hills due to floodwaters, including saving a camper trapped in a tree by rising waters.
- This storm is expected to move through more quickly than the recent atmospheric river event but still poses risks of flash flooding and power outages.
- Widespread rainfall, including in mountain areas, and heavy snowfall above 6,800 feet in the Sierra Nevada are anticipated, with advisories for motorists to avoid mountain routes.
- The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services has activated its operations center and is positioning resources in anticipation of the storm’s impact.
The Associated Press has the story:
California braces for flooding again as another wet winter storm hits
Newslooks- SAN FRANCISCO (AP) —
The latest in a series of wet winter storms gained strength in California early Monday, with forecasters warning of possible flooding, hail, strong winds and even brief tornadoes as the system moves south over the next few days.
Gusts topped 30 mph (48 kph) in Oakland and San Jose as a mild cold front late Saturday gave way to a more powerful storm on Sunday, said meteorologist Brayden Murdock with the National Weather Service office in San Francisco.
“The winds are here and getting stronger, and the rains will follow quickly,” he said Sunday afternoon.
California’s central coast is at risk of “significant flooding,” with up to 5 inches (12 cm) of rain predicted for many areas, according to the weather service. Isolated rain totals of 10 inches (25 cm) are possible in the Santa Lucia and Santa Ynez mountain ranges as the storm heads toward greater Los Angeles.
Thunderstorms in valleys around the state capital on Monday could bring “brief tornadoes, large amounts of small hail, heavy rain, lightning, and gusty winds,” the weather service in Sacramento warned on X.
Residents in the region, including Sacramento, Chico, Yuba City, Stockton and Modesto, “are advised to pay close attention to the weather,” the office said later in a separate statement.
Firefighters on Monday rescued two people from the top of their vehicle, which had stalled in flood waters in Sloughhouse, a community about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Sacramento, the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said.
Hours earlier, a man was rescued along a creek in El Dorado Hills, northeast of Sacramento. The man, who had been camping in the area, was trapped in a tree as floodwaters rose, El Dorado Hills Deputy Fire Chief Dave Brady told KCRA-TV.
The latest storm is expected to move through quicker than the devastating atmospheric river that parked itself over Southern California earlier this month, turning roads into rivers, causing hundreds of landslides and killing at least nine people.
“It’s not the ideal setup for an atmospheric river, but it does have some of the characteristics,” including a band of subtropical moisture bringing up the rear of the storm, Murdock said. “Otherwise it’s just a cold front.”
But it’s a cold front strong enough to cause problems including flash flooding and power outages, forecasters said. Flood watches and warnings were issued in coastal and mountain areas up and down the state.
Rainfall will be widespread even in the mountains, but several feet of snow is possible at elevations above about 6,800 feet (2,070 meters) across the Sierra Nevada, the weather service said. Motorists are urged to avoid mountain routes.
“Consider completing Sierra travel during the day Sunday, or rescheduling to later next week,” said the weather service office in Reno, Nevada. The office issued a backcountry avalanche watch for the greater Lake Tahoe area and the eastern Sierra in Inyo and Mono counties.
The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services activated its operations center Saturday and positioned personnel and equipment in areas most at risk.
