California storm updates: New flood evacuation warnings, Newsom visits damage, more rain to come
A series of atmospheric river storms continued Saturday in California, leading to a levee breach along the San Joaquin River in Merced County, impassable roads in the Sierra Nevada and an evacuation warning southeast of Elk Grove.
Gov. Gavin Newsom visited flooded areas and an evacuation center in Merced; a search on the Central Coast for a missing 5-year-old caught up in floodwaters from an earlier storm was suspended again by the latest rough weather; and requests for help with downed trees and other damage continued to pile up with county agencies.
Wilton evacuation; horses trapped in Merced County
Sacramento County’s evacuation warning near Elk Grove, ahead of expected flooding, applied to Wilton, Rancho Murieta, Herald, Dillard Road and surrounding areas.
The areas are near the Cosumnes River, which had severe levee breaks earlier this month, closing Highway 99, trapping dozens in their cars and killing two. County officials urged Wilton-area residents to evacuate Saturday afternoon, including livestock.
The Cosumnes River levee is not the only vulnerable levee in the Central Valley. One along Bear Creek in Merced County broke Saturday morning, trapping eight horses and a dog. They required a water rescue.
Hundreds of similar rescues have been performed up and down the state this month as flooding continues, some from vehicles and others among those in homeless camps, but the storms also have taken a deadly toll this month.
Across the state, at least 19 people have died in the storms. That includes two people who died on Highway 99 near Sacramento, and two unhoused people who died when trees fell on their tents amid 70 mph winds in the capital city.
The youngest victim, 2-year-old Aeon Tocchini, died Jan. 4 when a tree fell on his family’s home in Sonoma County.
In San Luis Obispo County, rescue teams are looking for a 5-year-old boy who was tragically swept up with flood waters when he was riding in a vehicle Monday. Searches were ongoing, but paused Saturday due to weather, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office reported Saturday.
The state sent 200 people to that area to look for the boy, Newsom said during a news conference Friday in Santa Barbara County.
“As someone who now has a 6-year-old, just had his birthday, that hits home to many of us,” Newsom said. “We lost a 2-year-old as well. Nineteen deaths now recorded in the state of California, and we’re not out of the woods.”
A whopping eight atmospheric rivers have hit California in the past 16 days, Newsom said.
Newsom, in his Saturday visit to Merced County, met with people affected by the latest rounds of flooding.
The community of Planada flooded earlier this week, with some residents wading through waist-deep water to safety. More than 100 sought shelter at the Merced County Fairgrounds, along with farm animals and pets rescued from the floods.
Bear Creek outside Merced burst through a levee Saturday morning, leaving the eight horses belly deep in water and the dog stranded on its hind feet in a barn until they were rescued.
“I can not impress on you enough that we will get through this and come out the other side more resilient,” Newsom said during his visit to Merced.
Snow piles up, snarling Sierra travel
Across the Sierra Nevada and Cascades, up to 6 feet of snow was expected by Tuesday, with mountain gusts up to 50 mph.
While it may be tempting for skiers to try to reach the slopes this holiday weekend, mountain travel is “highly discouraged,” due to whiteouts, according to the National Weather Service.
Around noon Saturday, there were multiple spinouts on I-80 near Baxter, Caltrans said in a tweet. Crews conducted avalanche control on U.S. 50, stopping traffic, according to the state agency.
Heavy snow was blowing on I-80, “seriously reducing visibility for travelers,” the tweet said.
Hail hit the foothills in Nevada County about 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Gusts to 55 mph in Sacramento; thunderstorm risk
In Sacramento, gusts hit 55 mph on Saturday morning, knocking down trees and branches on lanes of eastbound Highway 50 from Watt Avenue to Bradshaw Road, according to Caltrans.
Southbound I-505 closed from the I-5 junction to County Road 19 in Yolo County.
The weather service issued a special weather statement for the Sacramento area at 10 a.m., amid the heavy gusts and half-inch-sized hail possible.
Since New Year’s Eve, residents have submitted more than 16,000 requests for service to the city’s 311 line, according to a city blog post. About 2,200 of them involved downed trees and other urban forestry issues.
“We are moving as fast as we can to safely and effectively respond to these calls for service,” Ryan Moore, public works director, said in the blog post. “In many situations, we will address a downed tree that is creating a safety issue or is blocking a roadway, and we will stack the debris to the side for later removal. We are doing that so we can get to the next call for service as quickly as possible. We hope the public will understand this approach and the volume of calls we are dealing with as the storms continue.”
A thunderstorm may also hit Sacramento after 10 p.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Lightning was seen near Placerville at around 3:30 p.m.
City Councilwoman Karina Talamantes’ South Natomas neighborhood streets severely flooded Saturday morning, according to a photo she posted on Twitter.
“Department of Utilities staff informed me that we were having issues in my area,” Talamantes said. “The Sumps are pumping but the rain that came down was more than the system could handle at that time. It is catching up now.”
Forecast for Sunday and beyond
Rain is expected to continue Sunday and Monday in the Sacramento region, but without heavy winds. City officials were watching the American River and Sacramento River levees for any possible breaches.
Thousands of unhoused people live along the levees.
People should call 311 to report downed trees and street flooding, call SMUD for power outages, and 211 for weather respite center information.
Other regions throughout the state also faced at least a couple of more days of rain.
“Additional Atmospheric River impacts are expected into early next week across California as several more waves of moisture arrive,” the weather service stated. “Heavy to excessive rainfall, flooding, possible mudslides/landslides, heavy mountain snow, and gusty winds are all expected.”
Bay Area, Central Coast
In the Bay Area, rain for the 24-hour period ending Saturday morning generally ranged from 1 to 1.5 inches, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, though Marin County saw up to 3.3 inches.
Santa Cruz County remained hardest hit, the Chronicle reported, with hard rain continuing to swell the San Lorenzo River. Felton and Soquel Village faced evacuations.
Southern California was expecting its hardest rain from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, the Los Angeles Times reported. The two right lanes of northbound I-5 at Templin Highway near Santa Clarita remained closed because of a rockslide.
Evacuation orders, warnings and road closures were in effect across a wide swath of Monterey County.
This story was originally published January 14, 2023 at 10:55 AM.
