Californians flee homes amid heavy rains
Wine country, Yosemite hit hard
FORESTVILLE, Calif. — Emergency crews in rescue boats and helicopters rushed to take advantage of a one-day break between storms Monday to rescue stranded people and assess damage after the heaviest rain in a decade overwhelmed parts of California and Nevada.
A weekend storm dumped more than a foot of water on parts of Northern California, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate their homes and leaving thousands without power. The system raised rivers out of their banks and toppled trees, among them the fabled giant sequoia dubbed “Pioneer Cabin” that had a drivethrough tunnel carved into its base more than a century ago. Another strong storm was bearing down on the region for today.
Such gaps between storms are “what saves us from the big water,” Fire Chief Max Ming said in the Russian River town of Forestville, where rescuers launched rafts and used a helicopter to search for people cut off by rising water. “People hunker down and wait for it to get past.”
The back-to-back storms that hit California and Nevada since last week are part of an “atmospheric river” weather system that draws precipitation from the Pacific Ocean as far west as Hawaii. That kind of system, also known as the “pineapple express,” poses catastrophic risks for areas hit by the heaviest rain.
“It’s been about 10 years since we’ve experienced this kind of rainfall,” said Steve Anderson, a National Weather Service forecaster. “We’re getting a little bit of a break today, but we have another storm system arriving tomorrow that’s not quite as potent but could still cause problems.”
Parts of California’s wine country in Sonoma County were among the hardest-hit areas, with up to 13 inches of rain since Friday, Anderson said.
The Russian River in Sonoma rose to its highest level since 2006, spilling over its banks and into vineyards and oak groves. Schools and roads were forced to close.
Avalanche concerns kept some California ski areas closed for a second day Monday in the Sierra Nevada. Forecasters said more snow and rain were on the way.
Yosemite National Park will reopen the valley floor to visitors this morning after it was closed through the weekend and Monday because of a storm-swollen river, park spokesman Scott Gediman said. He said guests will be allowed back in starting at 8 a.m. for day visitors. Park workers were checking the extent of damage from the storm to water and sewer systems, he said.
Meanwhile, hurricane-force wind gusts knocked over trucks, sent roof shingles flying and downed power lines in the Colorado Springs area Monday, and a tanker truck overturned on an icy stretch of Interstate 70 in the mountains, shutting down the highway for hours as heavy snow fell in the high country.
Between 1 and 2 feet of snow fell in parts of the mountains as moisture streamed into the state from the Pacific. Freezing rain also temporarily shut down the runways at Grand Junction’s airport.
The winds, pushed like waves over the mountains, hit hardest around Colorado Springs, including a gust of 101 mph recorded at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station. The winds shut down city bus service and led officials at Fort Carson to urge soldiers and others on post to shelter in place.
About 160 miles of Interstate 25 from the Colorado Springs area to New Mexico was closed to truck traffic after 16 vehicles were knocked over.