Storm updates: Atmospheric river brings snow, rain as Biden OKs emergency assistance
A powerful atmospheric river storm has arrived in California, hammering the Sacramento Valley with rain and the Sierra Nevada mountains with heavy snow Thursday night and early Friday morning, along with howling wind gusts.
The storm, which eased up in the valley by sunrise on Friday, is forecast to pick back up later in the day and continue through the weekend and into early next week, according to the National Weather Service.
The weather service said the bulk of heavy rain has shifted south of the immediate Sacramento region. Precipitation will continue through the weekend, most likely in the form of scattered showers and possible thunderstorms.
Weather and emergency officials are warning of heavy flood risk in low-lying areas in the valley and wide swaths of the foothills; dangerous-to-impossible travel conditions on mountain highways; the risk of roofs collapsing under heavy snow; and strong wind gusts that could cut power.
Two confirmed deaths in latest California storms
At least two deaths in recent storms have been confirmed as storm-related by coroner’s officials across California, said Nancy Ward, director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, during a news briefing Friday morning.
More than 9,400 people are under evacuation orders statewide, Ward said.
Ward urged Californians to be aware and take heed of emergency warnings from local sheriff’s offices, weather officials and other agencies.
Dangerous flash flooding events have developed along coastal areas of Central California, especially from Monterey County through San Luis Obispo County, weather service meteorologist David Lawrence said during Friday’s OES news briefing.
Flood watches and warnings remain in place
Flood concerns remain high, especially in parts of the foothills that have seen significant snow totals from recent, colder storms that could melt amid rain from the current, warmer storm.
The risk of rain-on-snow flooding events will be highest around elevations between 2,000 feet and 4,000 feet, according to the weather service.
The weather service has a flood watch in place for most of Northern California and Central California through Sunday morning.
A flood warning is in place for rural portions of south Sacramento County – the same region that saw deadly flooding during a mighty New Year’s Eve storm. Officials on Thursday opened sandbag stations in Elk Grove and other parts of Sacramento County.
Several more feet of snow in Sierra forecast
Huge snow totals are possible in the coming days.
The weather service on Thursday said more than 100 inches, or over 8 feet, could fall at pass level in the central and southern Sierra mountains between Friday and Sunday. Snow levels were forecast to rise to elevations of about 6,000 feet Friday morning before lowering down to about 4,500 feet Saturday and Sunday.
Then, in yet another strong storm system next week, another 4 to 5 feet could fall at high Sierra elevations between Monday and Wednesday, according to the weather service.
Major Tahoe-area ski resorts were closed due to dangerous weather conditions and avalanche risk. Palisades Tahoe in a social media post Friday morning said it recorded winds near 139 mph on its ridgeline.
Many school campuses remained closed Friday, including all Lake Tahoe Unified and Tahoe-Truckee Unified campuses.
Snow fell to low elevations Thursday, including in the Redding area.
Biden approves declaration sought by Newsom
Gov. Gavin Newsom, who on Wednesday added 21 counties to an emergency proclamation for the winter storms for a total of 34 counties, on Thursday requested a presidential emergency declaration from the Biden administration.
President Joe Biden approved the declaration Friday, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security to assist local response efforts “due to the emergency conditions resulting from severe winter storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides beginning on March 9, 2023, and continuing.”
“California is deploying every tool we have to protect communities from the relentless and deadly storms battering our state,” Newsom said in a prepared statement. “In these dangerous and challenging conditions, it is crucial that Californians remain vigilant and follow all guidance from local emergency responders.”
Recent winter storms have been deadly. In late February, an 80-year-old Foresthill woman died after the porch of her home collapsed due to snow. Earlier this month, a 62-year-old El Dorado County man was found dead on a rural road in the town of Camino, his body found in the snow near a vehicle.
Authorities in San Bernardino County said Thursday that they have responded to 13 death investigations since late February in mountainous regions buried by blizzard-like conditions, though sheriff-coroner’s officials said only one of those deaths has been directly tied to the weather.
Newsom’s office, in Thursday’s statement announcing the federal emergency request, said numerous state agencies have deployed resources to respond to or prepare for serious weather events.
Cal Fire, the California National Guard, Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services have responded to storm emergencies, with significant resources being deployed in San Bernardino County, the Newsom administration said.
Avalanche work on Sierra roads
Highway 50 was briefly closed in both directions between Twin Bridges and Meyers due to avalanche control, Caltrans said just after 9:15 a.m. Traffic reopened before 10 a.m. with chain controls in place as of 11:30 a.m.
Interstate 80 remained open in the mountains with chain controls, according to Caltrans.
Thousands without power, mostly along coast
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. as of 8 a.m. Friday reported more than 56,000 homes and businesses without power, including more than 36,000 customers in Monterey County and more than 5,000 in Santa Cruz County.
About 2,600 remained without power in Nevada County, including more than 1,000 whose outages began in late February and are now closing in on two weeks, according to PG&E.
Oroville Dam spillway to open for first time in 4 years
The California Department of Water Resources said it will open the main spillway at the Oroville Dam midday Friday, doing so for flood control purposes for the first time since 2019.
Ted Craddock, deputy director of the State Water Project, said the water elevation at Lake Oroville has risen by close to 180 feet since Dec. 1, now standing at about 840 feet — 60 feet shy of its maximum.
State water officials began to increase releases from Lake Oroville on Wednesday for flood control purposes, Craddock said during a virtual news briefing ahead of the planned spillway opening at noon.
Spillway flow will begin at 15,000 cubic feet per second, which Craddock called a “relatively small release.” The spillway is capable of releasing up to 270,000 cubic feet per second.
“As we look further into the upcoming storms, it’s possible we will be making adjustments to our releases,” he said. Releases during the rebuilt spillway’s only prior use, in 2019, peaked at 25,000 cubic feet per second.
The dam was the center of a 2017 crisis. Torrential rainfall that February damaged the Oroville Dam’s main spillway. When rerouted water threatened failure on the dam’s emergency spillway, more than 180,000 residents downstream of the dam in Butte, Sutter and Yuba counties were ordered to evacuate.
Extensive repairs followed, and state water officials let water flow down the newly rebuilt spillway for the first time on April 2, 2019.
“As part of the reconstruction effort, we installed instrumentation throughout the structure,” Craddock said. “So we can monitor the pressure, drainage and also movement of the spillway as well.”
Craddock said that due to near-record level snowpack in the Sierra this winter, water officials are confident that snowmelt will help to replenish Lake Oroville following flood releases and the end of the rainy season.
Water releases are also underway at the Folsom Dam, which is operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Rio Vista Bridge damaged, police say
“Significant” damage identified Friday morning is closing the westbound lane of the Rio Vista Bridge, the Rio Vista Police Department said in a Facebook post, which will likely result in one-way traffic controls all day.
A photo posted by the Police Department showed erosion damage the size of a large pothole, with rebar exposed and the waters of the Sacramento River visible from atop the bridge.
The bridge carries Highway 12 over the Sacramento River, connecting Sacramento County to Solano County.
Rain pauses in Sacramento, but will return soon
Rain eased out of the valley by Friday morning as the atmospheric river rolled to the east, but weather service forecasts called for more rain starting later in the day and continuing through the weekend and into early next week.
A total of 0.68 inches of rain fell downtown Thursday, according to the weather service. About another half-inch could fall each of Friday and Saturday.
Gusts at Sacramento Executive Airport topped 35 mph Thursday afternoon and evening, the weather service said.
Thunderstorms near Sacramento will also be possible Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, forecasts show, which could dump higher rain totals and increase flood risks.
Sacramento respite shelters open through Monday
The city of Sacramento has opened weather respite centers at the city’s outreach and engagement center (3615 Auburn Blvd.) and its North Fifth Street shelter (700 North Fifth Street), and has extended those shelter openings from Friday through next Monday.
The Auburn Boulevard site is open 24 hours a day; the North Fifth Street lobby is open from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
This story was originally published March 10, 2023 at 9:43 AM.
