Evacuations were issued to thousands of California residents on Tuesday, when an atmospheric river approached the coast, bringing unusually heavy rainfall and widespread power outages.
More than 345,000 were left without power as of Wednesday morning, according to the PowerOutage.US tracker.
WINTER TIME VARRE THROUGH THE USA WITH MULTIPLE STORMS TAKING SNOW, RAIN AND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS
At 10 pm PT on Tuesday, utility company Pacific Gas and Electric Co. reported that some 38,000 customers around the Bay Area were without power.
Evacuation orders are in effect for San Mateo, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, although many residents have told authorities they would not leave their homes – even with Cal Fire warning of dangerous conditions.
The state emergency services office has organized emergency teams in five counties, according to The Associated Press.
While the authorities are concerned about the floods and landslides that supposedly already released wreckage in the scars of burns from some of the largest forest fires in the state, rare snowstorm-like snow is also a concern in the Sierra Nevada.
“We can’t emphasize this enough,” wrote the California Department of Transportation in District 3 on Twitter on Tuesday. “If you didn’t arrive at your destination before sunset tonight, it is not advisable to travel to the Sierra. The snow is heavy and white conditions are expected.”
Up to 10 feet of snow are expected in the mountains, according to the National Weather Service, with several locations under winter storm warnings and winter weather alerts.
Some lower elevations, such as Sonoma County, have already seen snow.
The threat closed both Interstate 5 over the Grapevine and Highway 1.
Winds blew in California at speeds up to 77 mph, with reports of fallen branches, according to SFGate.
Charles Bogray evacuates from his home in Boulder Creek near the burning zone of the CZU Lightning Complex in Santa Cruz County, California, on Tuesday, January 26, 2021. (AP Photo / Noah Berger)
(AP)
As the front moves inland, the service classified part of the region as having a “moderate risk” and a flood alert was published, as the central coast expects up to 25 to 35 centimeters of rain in the next 72 hours.
In the wake of the worst fire season in California history, experts warned that a storm of this magnitude could cause even more damage.
Forest fires destroy vegetation that would normally absorb some of the moisture and keep debris in place.
The fire at the Santa Cruz and San Mateo CZU lightning complex burned 86,509 acres last August, Mercury News reported on Tuesday.
It is an area that has seen debris streams and landslides before, and more than 20 people died in January 2018 when a debris stream hit Montecito.
The US Geological Survey says that an average of 25 to 50 people are killed by landslides each year in the United States.
Even more rains are expected on Friday. While storms can help the state’s long drought, the Bay Area will see more rain in 24 hours than it did last year.
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“The storm we feared has arrived and the time to act is now,” said Santa Cruz County Communications Manager Jason Hoppin on Tuesday.
The storm comes just over a week after strong winds hit homes, closing Yosemite National Park. The closure of the park has been extended until at least January 30.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.