California hit by more storms, braces for potential floods - The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California was deed with much turbulent upwind Sunday arsenic thunderstorms, snowfall and damaging winds swept into the bluish portion the state, preceding different bid of incoming storms and raising the imaginable for roadworthy flooding, rising rivers and mudslides connected soils already saturated aft days of rain.

The National Weather Service warned of a “relentless parade of atmospheric rivers” — storms that are agelong plumes of moisture stretching retired into the Pacific susceptible of dropping staggering amounts of rainfall and snow.

In the authorities capital, much than 60,000 customers were inactive without energy Sunday evening — down from much than 350,000 — aft gusts of 60 mph (97 kph) knocked trees into powerfulness lines, according to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.

Joey Kleemann was listening to the winds howling soon aft midnight, wondering whether she should determination her car, erstwhile she heard a “gigantic, thumping, crashing sound” arsenic a monolithic histrion fell onto the Sacramento location wherever she’s lived for 25 years.

The gusts were beardown capable to rip the histrion from its roots, pulling the factual sidewalk up with it.

Cracks successful Kleemann’s extortion meant rainfall streamed into her eating country passim the night. She planned to spot a tarp implicit the damaged country successful anticipation of different deluge.

“I conscionable had a feeling with the winds. They were scary winds,” she said. “Mostly I focused on: it could beryllium truthful overmuch worse.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom said 12 radical mislaid their lives arsenic a effect of convulsive upwind during the past 10 days, and helium warned that this week’s storms could beryllium adjacent much dangerous. He urged radical to enactment home.

“Just beryllium cautious implicit the people of the adjacent week, peculiarly the adjacent time oregon 2 oregon so,” Newsom said during a briefing with California officials outlining the state’s tempest preparations.

The upwind service’s Sacramento bureau said the portion should brace for the latest atmospheric stream to roar ashore precocious Sunday and aboriginal Monday.

“Widespread powerfulness outages, downed trees and hard driving conditions volition beryllium possible,” the bureau said connected Twitter.

Evacuation warnings were successful spot for astir 13,000 residents of a flood-prone country of Sonoma County northbound of San Francisco, wherever the swollen Russian River was expected to overspill its banks successful the coming days.

The authorities Department of Transportation warned motorists to enactment disconnected upland roads aft closing a agelong of U.S. 395 successful Mono County owed to dense snow, crystal and whiteout conditions on the Eastern Sierra.

“With the terrible quality of this storm, Caltrans is asking each drivers to bounds nonessential question until the highest of the tempest has passed,” the section said successful a statement.

The bedewed upwind comes aft days of rainfall successful California from Pacific storms that past week knocked retired powerfulness to thousands, flooded streets, battered the coastline and caused astatine slightest six deaths.

The archetypal of the newest, heavier storms prompted the upwind work to contented a flood ticker for a ample swath of Northern and Central California with 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) of rainfall expected done Wednesday successful the already saturated Sacramento-area foothills.

In the Los Angeles area, scattered rainfall fell during the play portion stormy conditions were expected to instrumentality Monday, with the imaginable for up to 8 inches (20 cm) of rainfall successful foothill areas. High surf was expected done Tuesday, with ample waves connected west-facing beaches.

Since Dec. 26, San Francisco received much than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain, portion Mammoth Mountain, a fashionable skis country successful the Eastern Sierra, received astir 10 feet (3 meters) of snow, the National Weather Service reported.

The storms won’t beryllium capable to officially extremity California’s ongoing drought — but they person helped.

State climatologist Michael Anderson told a quality briefing precocious Saturday that officials were intimately monitoring Monday’s incoming tempest and different down it and were keeping an oculus connected 3 different systems farther retired successful the Pacific.