'Atmospheric river' floods Northern California - NBC News

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A Pacific tempest fed by tropical moisture blasted California's superior with rainfall implicit the play and whitethorn person contributed to astatine slightest 3 deaths successful the West, officials said.

Sacramento seemed to get the worst of the wintertime front's atmospheric river — a long, constrictive set of moisture drawn from the tropics — with wide flooding, the closure of a cardinal road and 1 of the deaths.

Sunday afternoon, mandatory evacuations were activated for residents of the Point Pleasant assemblage southbound of the metropolis of Sacramento, Sacramento County officials said. They expressed interest that immoderate request for floodwater rescues successful the country would beryllium analyzable by the acheronian aft nightfall.

"Flooding successful the country is imminent," the Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services said successful a statement. "Floodwaters go incredibly unsafe aft sunset. Please beryllium retired of the country and disconnected the roads portion determination is inactive airy to reasonably spot immoderate danger."

An estimated 1,600 residents who signed up for cellphone alerts received messages with evacuation orders, region spokesperson Kim Nava said.

Three breaches of a levee adjacent to the Cosumnes River successful the assemblage of Wilton person been reported since the tempest archetypal struck the country Saturday, contributing to fears of imaginable flash flooding successful those low-lying communities, she said.

The stream reached its highest-ever recorded h2o level astatine 76.22 feet astir 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Nava said.

Cellphone video from the country showed aggregate vehicles with h2o up to their windows and higher Sunday. NBC affiliate KCRA of Sacramento reported that dozens of motorists person been rescued from vehicles stranded successful precocious waters successful Sacramento County.

Flash flood warnings remained successful effect for aggregate communities southbound of the superior until further notice, according to the National Weather Service.

On Sunday, archetypal responders discovered a assemblage successful a conveyance that was submerged successful floodwater connected oregon adjacent Highway 99 astatine Dillard Road, southbound of Elk Grove, KCRA reported.

The origin of decease and the individuality of the deceased were unavailable, and the Cosumnes Fire Department did not instantly respond to a petition for information.

Parts of Highway 99, including a much than 1-mile agelong southbound of Elk Grove, were closed Saturday night, according to the California Department of Transportation, oregon Caltrans, and reopened Monday morning.

California floodingVehicles were caught successful flooding connected Highway 99 astatine Dillard Road southbound of Sacramento, Calif., astir 11:45p.m. connected New Year’s Eve. @dogsbikesclouds

Sunday night, amid aggregate conveyance spinouts, the California Highway Patrol stopped eastbound postulation connected Highway 80 on the Donner Summit northwest of Lake Tahoe. Snow was clinging to the shoulder, but officials were allowing motorists to marque the travel without snowfall chains.

Highway 50 eastbound of Kyburz was reduced to 1 lane successful each absorption aft boulders struck the road overnight, Caltrans said.

The storm's effects were felt from the U.S.-Mexico borderline to Northern California, adjacent arsenic it moved eastbound into the Rocky Mountains.

Although the past 3 years person been the driest successful authorities records, the atmospheric stream provided snowfall successful the Sierra Nevada mountains, the state's earthy retention locker for water. The National Weather Service said Sunday that nearly 10 inches of snow fell astatine Reno-Tahoe Airport successful Nevada. The installation connected Saturday reported “heavy snowfall fall” that was causing formation delays and cancellations.

By the extremity of Saturday, downtown San Francisco had recorded much than 5 inches of rain, a one-day magnitude bested successful the past books lone by a deluge successful November 1994.

Nearby Oakland, however, acceptable its one-day grounds by scoring 4.75 inches of rain, the National Weather Service said. The fig bushed the grounds acceptable successful 1982.

At Lighthouse Field State Beach successful Santa Cruz County, astir 80 miles southbound of San Francisco, the assemblage of a 72-year-old antheral was recovered nether a fallen 120-foot cypress histrion Saturday afternoon, parkland officials said. The victim’s sanction was not available.

In Breckenridge, Colorado, connected Sunday afternoon, a antheral and his big lad hiking and skiing successful a backcountry country extracurricular Breckenridge Ski Resort boundaries were felled by an avalanche, the Summit County Rescue Group said successful a statement.

The begetter was capable to flight and telephone for help, but erstwhile rescuers arrived they recovered the lad buried successful snowfall and deceased, the radical said.

Experts said the caller year's archetypal week volition bring much bedewed upwind to the West via storms brewing successful the Gulf of Alaska and fed by tropical Pacific precipitation.

"Precipitation chances volition ramp up again Monday and Tuesday arsenic a bid of Pacific Storm systems continues to interaction the region," the National Weather Service said.

"The adjacent large strategy starts Tuesday night," NWS Bay Area forecasters tweeted.

Dennis Romero

Dennis Romero is simply a breaking quality newsman for NBC News Digital. 

Bryan Gallion

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Rania Soetirto

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Courtney Brogle

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