PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Hundreds of thousands of Californians were left without power Sunday amid high winds and heavy rains, the latest in an unrelenting spate of brutal storms that could deliver its worst blow yet Monday, when a “fire hose of moisture” was predicted. slam the soggy state.
More than half of Sacramento’s 530,000 residents were in the dark at the peak of the storm on Sunday and suffered wind gusts of up to 60 mph that toppled trees and tangled power lines, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District said.
“Atmospheric river events” will continue to hit California early this week, with likely the strongest system arriving Monday, the National Weather Service said. Additional rain on saturated soils will lead to significant flooding, mudslides and streams of burn debris, the weather service said.
Widespread mountain snow and high winds will add to weather problems across the state, the statement warned.
“This could be a deadly situation and the storm is likely to turn into a multi-billion dollar disaster,” tweeted AccuWeather meteorologist Ariella Scalese. “A few centimeters of rain, mudslides / landslides. In addition, snow of more than 2000 meters and wind gusts of more than 160 km / h.”
TODDLER DIES:A 2-year-old boy is among those killed in the California storm
Latest developments:
- More than 360,000 homes and businesses across California were without power on Sunday.
- There were evacuation warnings for about 13,000 residents of Sonoma County north of San Francisco, where the Russian River was expected to burst its banks in the coming days.
- The State Department of Transportation warned motorists to stay off mountain roads after closing a stretch of US 395 in Mono County due to severe snow, ice and whiteout conditions along the eastern Sierra.
- The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for part of northern and central California.
- The storms won’t be enough to officially end California’s ongoing drought, but they’ve helped, Anderson said.
POWER FAILURE DRAWS ON:California is struggling to keep the lights on after storms left thousands in the dark
Weather services warn of damaging winds, additional power outages
The weather service warned that damaging winds will return over northern California on Sunday night.
The weather service issued strong wind warnings from Sunday night and is expected to last until Monday.
“This will cause additional fallen trees and widespread power outages, especially with soils so saturated,” the Sacramento weather service tweeted.
The state capital is still recovering from damaging winds after more than 230,000 shoppers were left in the dark early Sunday after gusts of more than 60 mph knocked trees into power lines, according to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. As of Sunday afternoon, nearly 680 customers in Sacramento were still without power, according to SMUD’s power outage map.
How much rain and snow will fall?
State climatologist Michael Anderson said officials were closely monitoring Monday’s incoming storm and another behind it, and were monitoring three other systems further out in the Pacific. Parts of northern and central California could receive 6 to 12 inches of rain through Wednesday, the weather service said.
San Francisco was predicted to receive another 2 to 4 inches of rain. In the past two weeks, the center has had more than 10 inches of rain — six times more than normal for that period. During this stretch, the city recorded its wettest 10-day period in more than 150 years.
Heavy rainfall will return to parts of Southern California Monday night and Tuesday, with 1-2 inches of rain in the Los Angeles area and higher amounts locally, AccuWeather said.
‘THE GROUND IS SAT’: Flood risk festers in California as rain hits over the weekend
Why can this storm be so damaging?
WHAT IS AN ATMOSPHERIC RIVER?These rivers of water vapor can stretch for thousands of miles
The “relentless parade of atmospheric rivers” that has hit the state in recent weeks has swelled rivers and saturated the ground. Mammoth Mountain, a ski resort in the eastern Sierra, received nearly 10 feet of snow, the National Weather Service reported.
Authorities say the fronts are responsible for at least six deaths.
Contributions: The The Bharat Express News
