As atmospheric river exits, another is set to hit California
Forecasters warn that ‘considerable flooding’ could occur
WATSONVILLE, CALIF. Wet, miserable weather continued across huge swaths of California on Sunday as an atmospheric river that caused major flooding flowed eastward, and as a new system threatens the region with another onslaught of rain, snow and gusting winds as soon as Monday night.
The National Weather Service said the next torrent could exacerbate the severe flooding that overwhelmed the area in recent days, causing a levee failure that prompted widespread evacuations Saturday in farming communities near the state’s Central Coast.
The new storm is not expected to bring as much rain, but forecasters warned that “considerable flooding” could occur at lower elevations from additional rain and creeks and streams swollen with snowmelt.
“Definitely prepare for some more flooding impacts. The ground is very saturated. We’re already seeing some impacts from some light amounts even today,” National Weather Service forecaster Eleanor Dhuyvetter said.
A tornado briefly touched down in Tuolumne County during severe thunderstorms Saturday that also dumped 2.5 centimetres of hail, the weather service office in Sacramento said. Tornadoes were possible again Sunday afternoon, forecasters warned.
Monday’s incoming rain and snow is expected to extend from central California to Oregon and northern Nevada.
Wind gusts of up to 80 km/h are expected in some places and could damage power lines and snap tree branches.
But the new storm is moving fast, meaning it won’t have time to dump as much rain.
Over the past two days, more than 50 centimetres of snow fell at a measuring station in the Sierra Nevada, and more is expected. The snowpack is now nearly twice the average, and the highest in about four decades, according to UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab.
The snowpack stores much-needed water for a state seeking to emerge from a three-year drought.
As much 30 centimetres of rain fell in the Big Sur area of the state over a two-day period, weather data.
Authorities suggest that residents have a plan in case further evacuations orders are issued.
Across Monterey County, more than 8,500 people were evacuated Saturday, including roughly 1,700 residents — many of them Latino farmworkers — from the unincorporated community of Pajaro.
“We are still in disaster response mode,” said Monterey County spokesman Nicholas Pasculli on Sunday. He said the county is staging high water rescue teams around the county and opening more shelters in anticipation of more flooding.
Highway 1, also known as the Pacific Coast Highway, is closed at several points along Big Sur as well as near Pajaro due to flooding.