Storm pushes into Central US after walloping California with dangerous flooding and forcing water rescues and evacuations – KTVZ

By Nouran Salahieh and Mike Saenz, CNN

A robust storm system that battered California on New 12 months’s Eve, bringing widespread flooding and energy outages, is pushing into the Central US Monday, as greater than 15 million individuals from the West Coast to Illinois are underneath winter climate alerts.

The atmospheric river — an extended, slim area within the environment which may carry moisture hundreds of miles — fueled a parade of storms that dropped thick snow on the mountains and drenched northern California, shutting down roadways and prompting water rescues and evacuation orders.

No less than two individuals died within the storm, together with one who was discovered useless inside a totally submerged automobile Saturday in Sacramento County, and a 72-year-old man who died after being struck by a fallen tree at a Santa Cruz park, in keeping with officers.

Scores of others in northern California have been rescued from flood waters as rivers swelled and roads turned impassable.

There have been 103,000 houses, companies and different energy clients with out energy throughout California and Nevada as of Sunday evening, down from a excessive of greater than 300,000 outages on Saturday, in keeping with Poweroutage.US.

On Monday, snow is anticipated to fall throughout the Rockies, northern Plains, and finally into components of the Midwest the place winter storm alerts are posted.

Widespread snowfall of 4 to eight inches is forecast however greater elevations within the mountains might see 1 to 2 toes of snow.

On the southern fringe of the storm, a extreme storm outbreak is feasible throughout the South Monday into Tuesday.

Components of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana are vulnerable to extreme storms on Monday, with damaging winds, robust tornadoes and hail doable. Storms are anticipated to start within the afternoon and can final by way of the in a single day hours.

California communities evacuated resulting from widespread floods

The Sacramento County space was significantly exhausting hit, with emergency crews spending the weekend rescuing a number of flood victims by boats and helicopter and responding to fallen timber and disabled autos within the flood waters, the Sacramento Metropolitan Fireplace District stated.

An evacuation order was issued Sunday for the agricultural Sacramento County areas of Point Pleasant, whereas Glanville Tract and Franklin Pond have been underneath an evacuation warning.

“It’s anticipated that the flooding from the Cosumnes River and the Mokelumne River is transferring southwest towards I-5 and will attain these areas in the course of the evening,” the company tweeted.

The day earlier than, rising flood waters pressured evacuations in Wilton, California, in addition to three communities close to the town of Watsonville in Santa Cruz County.

A Flash Flood Watch was in place alongside and west of 5 Freeway to the Sacramento River, the place there have been worries about extreme rainfall and flooding on the Cosumnes and Mokelumne Rivers.

The storm snarled journey throughout a number of northern California highways, amid studies of inundated roadways and mudslides.

Flooding from the Cosumnes River pressured the closure of Freeway 99 south of Elk Grove in Sacramento County, the California Division of Transportation tweeted. “SR 99 is among the state’s closely traveled, and commercially vital, corridors,” its web site provides.

Aerial video from CNN affiliate KCRA confirmed vehicles submerged previous their doorhandles in flood waters from Freeway 99 and the Dillard Road space. Chris Schamber, a fireplace captain with the Cosumnes Fireplace Division, advised the station “dozens upon dozens” of individuals had been rescued.

US Freeway 101 — one among California’s most well-known routes — was additionally quickly closed in each instructions in South San Francisco Saturday with the California Freeway Patrol reporting “water isn’t receding resulting from continuous rainfall & excessive tides stopping the water to displace.”

The climate system is anticipated to carry gentle to reasonable valley rain and mountain snow to the world Monday and Tuesday, in keeping with the Nationwide Climate Service in Sacramento.

It’s not clear how a lot this storm will make a dent in drought circumstances which have persevered in California, which began 2022 with the driest starting of the yr on file and ended it with flooded roads and swelling rivers.

Northern California’s mountainous areas recorded spectacular snow totals over the weekend.

Sierra areas above 5,000 toes obtained round 20-45 inches of snow Saturday by way of early Sunday morning — and one other spherical of lighter snow is on the best way.

The Sierra Snow Lab recorded 24-hour snow totals of 29.9 inches, Bear Valley Ski Resort recorded 21 inches, Boreal Ski Resort obtained 40 inches, Sierra at Tahoe Ski Resort 42 inches and Soda Springs noticed 40 inches, in keeping with the Weather Service.

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