“We've had less people die in the last two years of major wildfires in California than have died since New Year's Day related to this weather,” Governor Gavin Newsom said. “These conditions are serious and they're deadly.”
On Saturday, one to three inches of rain poured over the lowlands of Central and Northern California, with additional rain in the mountains. Snow pelted down in Sierra Nevada and continued to threaten the state of California with more flooding, landslides, and hail. The state, which has been experiencing its worst megadrought in 1,200 years, has been drenched by major storms since December 20. Those catastrophic storm systems have even prompted emergency evacuations in Santa Cruz County.
While the rain was moderate on Saturday, evacuations were prompted by an atmospheric river which swept inland and posed a threat for areas. An atmospheric river is like a long, narrow river that runs through the sky and acts as a transportation vessel for tropical water vapor. Once these rivers fall on land, they can threaten the area with extreme rainfall, floods, and induce mudslides. Downed trees left more than 40,000 homes in California without power on Saturday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.
Atmospheric rivers have dropped about 24 trillion gallons of water onto the state since late December.
At least 19 people in California have been killed by the deadly storms, while a five-year-old boy remained missing on Saturday after being swept from his mother’s car by flood waters earlier in the week. Local authorities were forced to suspend a search for the missing child due to unsuitable weather, according to a social media post from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.
Ocean water flooding into Rio Del Mar in Santa Cruz County, from Aimee at the Rio Sands hotel pic.twitter.com/WQFysU7Og9
— Kurtis Alexander (@kurtisalexander) January 5, 2023
The 4100 block of Stage Road near Pescadero is closed due to a partial collapse of the road. #CaWx #California pic.twitter.com/ZqFahH3iyA
— CAL FIRE CZU (@CALFIRECZU) January 14, 2023
The rain has also impacted the state’s prized redwoods, whose future remains somewhat uncertain after the heavy rain and flooding. While other areas have experienced destabilized soil, sinkholes, mudslides and fallen trees, the condition of the redwoods---which are known as Earth’s tallest trees---remains unknown, with California State Parks spokesperson Adeline Yee saying that they will not have a full assessment of the damage until after the storm.
California’s governor warned his constituents that the next few days would remain challenging and he cautioned Californians to prepare for the state’s ninth atmospheric river which will roll in once Saturday’s storm ends.
In #MontereyCounty: One-way traffic control on #Hwy68 at Scenic Dr., just north of Community Hospital. Crews on site for slide removal. Please use caution driving in the area. pic.twitter.com/oNHTR3cKfp
— Caltrans District 5 (@CaltransD5) January 14, 2023
“The challenges may present themselves over the course of the next few days rather acutely. Particularly because everything’s saturated, particularly because the grounds are overwhelmed,” Newsom said. “What may appear less significant in terms of the rainfall may actually be more significant on the ground in terms of the impacts on the ground and the flooding and the debris flow.”
The storm is predicted to ease on Sunday before another major blow that Sunday night at about 10 PM which could last until Monday or Tuesday. The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab also reported on Saturday morning that they received 21.3 inches of snow in just 24 hours---that snowpack will increase by 10 feet by Monday.
Scientists warn that while some storms during the winter are normal, climate change has worsened the effects of extreme weather, creating a “weather whiplash” in the Golden State. The enormous amounts of rain also won’t end California’s megadrought.
"I know how fatigued you all are," Newsom said Friday, urging caution ahead of incoming storms. "Just maintain a little more vigilance over the course of the next weekend."
Sacramento and the surrounding area saw extensive flooding.
Networks of small rivers and creeks overflowed. Local levees breached. Stretches of one of the city’s main highways were submerged and farmlands flooded. The deluge engulfed cars, and some homes were filled to their second floors with water.
Winds with gusts topping 60 mph sent trees crashing onto rooftops and brought down power lines. Officials said more than 1,000 trees have fallen in Sacramento since the beginning of the month. Two people experiencing homelessness were killed when trees fell onto their tents, authorities said.
Many trees were already diseased and weakened by the ongoing drought, making them vulnerable to toppling. But the rains turned the ground into mush, enabling the winds to pull otherwise healthy trees from the soil, roots and all.
The surge carried parts of piers out to sea and dumped huge amounts of driftwood and other debris across the sand. In the nearby town of Capitola, the waters split a wharf in half.
In the Central Valley, overflow from a small creek caused outsize damage in Merced, a city of 89,000 people known as the “Gateway to Yosemite” for its proximity to the national park.
Bear Creek, which flows across the north side of town, swelled over its banks, prompting evacuations and road closures. The waters turned entire neighborhoods into lakes, covering yards, rising into the first floors of homes and causing cars to float away.
Mandatory evacuations were also in effect this week for all 4,000 residents in Planada, which was similarly devastated by the overflow of a small river.
Drought conditions proceeding the recent onslaught of storms have so far helped stave off catastrophic flooding in many of the state’s major rivers. But the flooding of minor waterways could foreshadow more severe problems elsewhere if the rains continue, said Pinter, of UC Davis.
“What we’ve been seeing is a progressive escalation of flood issues,” Pinter said. “The big question now is whether you’re going to see the large-scale flood impacts.”
Mudslides also blanketed patches of road in Santa Cruz and Montecito, the ultrawealthy seaside town that’s home to numerous celebrities, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Nearby, in Santa Barbara, mudslide hazards prompted authorities to issue evacuation orders on the five-year anniversary of a deadly mudslide in the area.
Wildfires throughout the state create ideal conditions for mudslides. When the flames char the undergrowth on hills and mountains, the soil can’t hold water as easily. Downpours can send mud, debris and rocks tumbling downward.
“You add one drop of water and it all slides down the hill,” said Jan Null, a meteorologist in the Bay Area. “As gravity takes it downhill, you have an avalanche that can wipe out houses and cars and people.”
The storms’ effects were also pronounced in California’s urban centers. In Los Angeles, flooding and mudslides shuttered streets, and waters poured into the tunnels in the city’s historic Union Station
Emergency crews have set to work digging out mud, clearing debris and patching roadway, while residents wring out their homes and belongings, hoping the next storms will spare them.
“We’re not out of the woods,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a news conference this week. “These conditions are serious and they are deadly.”
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