At a Glance
- President Joe Biden approved a federal emergency declaration.
- Some areas were under evacuation orders.
- Flooding, downed trees and mudslides have closed roads.
Sign up for the Morning Brief email newsletter to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.
Flooding and landslides took their toll across parts of California Friday, as a powerful storm brought rain and high winds.
At least two deaths are being blamed on the weather, which brought more than 10 inches of rain to some areas and wind gusts in excess of 65 mph.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in 21 counties, and President Joe Biden approved a federal emergency declaration.
(MORE: Why NOAA High Risk Flood Forecasts Are Important)
Evacuation warnings were issued because of flooding from the storm fueled by the Pineapple Express. In some areas, homes were flooded and roads washed out.
It all happened as many California residents remained stranded by back-to-back snowstorms.
Here are our updates from Friday:
(6:11 p.m. ET) 'It's Horrible' After Road Washed Out In Soquel
Residents in the Santa Cruz town of Soquel, where part of Main Street was completely washed out, were told to stay indoors. Some residents were cut off, with no way in or out of their neighborhood.
“It’s horrible,” Heather Wingfield, who said she was trapped, told the Associated Press. “Hopefully no one has a medical emergency.”
Local news reported that residents would be able to access a small wooden footbridge downriver for the time being.
(MORE: California's Flood Emergency In Photos)
(5:47 p.m. ET) Rainfall Tops 10 Inches In Some Areas
Here are some of the top totals over the past 48 hours, by county: Alameda, 3.68 inches; Contra Costa, 3.8 inches; Marin, 6.24 inches; Monterey, 13.63 inches; Napa, 5.32 inches; Santa Clara, 10.31 inches; Santa Cruz, 6.68 inches; Sonoma, 6.56 inches.
(5:13 p.m. ET) Avalanche Warnings In Place
Avalanche warnings are in effect throughout today and into at least tomorrow morning for Mt. Shasta, Central Sierra Nevada and the Eastside Region.
"Heavy snowfall, extreme winds, and low-elevation rain are overloading an uncertain snowpack," the forecast from the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center says. "Very large avalanches are expected and in some cases may reach historic runouts. Travel in and below avalanche terrain is not recommended."
Avalanche.org has links to avalanche forecasts nationwide.
(4:23 p.m. ET) What Is An Atmospheric River?
From senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman: An atmospheric river is a weather feature that is both a necessity and, all too often, a destructive menace particularly for those near the West Coast of the United States.
Put simply, an atmospheric river (AR) is a thin but long plume of moisture in the atmosphere that stretches from the tropics or subtropics into higher latitudes.
The term was first used in a 1994 research paper and is now widely used by meteorologists. The AR we're dealing with right now is a "Pineapple Express," a moisture band lined up from near Hawaii to the U.S. West Coast ahead of a strong Pacific cold front at least once or twice each fall, winter or spring.
(MORE: Explaining The Blessing And The Curse Of An Atmospheric River)
(4:12 p.m. ET) Winds Gust Up To 73 MPH
It's not just the flooding - wind is also causing issues.
Here are some of the highest reported wind gusts by county across Southern California in the past 12 hours: 68 mph in Los Angeles County; 63 mph in San Luis Obispo County; 59 mph in Santa Barbara County; 73 mph in Ventura County.
(4:02 p.m. ET) Widespread Power Outages Remain in Monterey Area
More than 36,000 people are without power in Monterey County, a number that has stood constant all day. That makes up more than half the 55,000 outages being reported across the state by PowerOutage.us.
(3:55 p.m. ET) Springville Resident: "It's crazy."
New drone footage shows floodwaters rushing into homes and vehicles in Springville, in Tulare County, as the Tule River overflows.
"It's crazy," resident Kevin Hodgeman told Live Storms Media. "I've never seen it like this."
(3:45 p.m. ET) More Evacuations Ordered
An evacuation order is in place for the community of Riverkern as well as lowlying areas of Kernville, according to the Kern County Sheriff's Office.
Evacuations were also ordered in parts of Cambria in San Luis Obispo County,
(2:55 p.m. ET) Tule River Flooding In Springville
The Tule River in Springville is just one example of rivers that are overtopping their banks and flooding across streets and around homes. Video posted to social media showed the river's rapid flow. Springville is in Tulare County, about 50 miles northeast of Bakersfield.
(MORE: River Flooding Sweeps Through California Towns)
(2:40 p.m. ET) CalFire Responding In 16 Counties
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as CalFire, is responding to weather-related incidents in 16 different counties, the agency's director said at a news conference.
Chief Joe Tyler reminded people to be evacuate when told to do so, and to take care on roads if driving.
"Please be aware of erosion and mudslides from burn scars," Tyler said.
(2:28 p.m. ET) At Least Two Deaths Connected To The Weather
The flooding and storms that started yesterday have killed at least two people, California Office of Emergency Services Director Nancy Ward said in a news conference.
Ward also said more than 9,400 people are under evacuation orders, and 15 shelters are open in nine counties.
(1:12 p.m. ET) Flood Water Reaches Buildings In Southern Sierra Nevada
Video recorded in Kernville, California, shows flood water rushing next to homes and businesses.
(12:44 p.m. ET) Federal Emergency Declared
President Joe Biden has approved a federal emergency declaration over the storms, flooding and landslides. The move paves the way for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including coordinating relief efforts and federal funding in these counties: Amador, Butte, El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Lake, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Mateo, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sierra, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne, and Yuba.
(12:32 p.m. ET) Huge Trees Washing Down River
Video shared on social media shows large trees that washed down rapidly flowing the San Lorenzo River.
"The big trees in the river came down as the result of a mudslide on the far bank in January, and one just missed the house while we were inside," the poster, named Andy Benkert, says.
(12:26 p.m. ET) Santa Cruz County Street Washed Out
A section of road in Santa Cruz County washed away, cutting off some residents. Water service is also down for some.
(12:11 p.m. ET) 100+ Reports Of Flooding
The National Weather Service has received 115 reports of flooding, including rockslides, since yesterday.
(11:38 a.m. ET) Before/After Photos Show Huge Change In Water Level
A resident in Santa Cruz posted photos of a creek near their home, taken 24 hours apart. In the first, the creek is calm, clear and narrow. In the second, it's a muddy torrent of water.
(11:32 a.m. ET) Why Flash Flooding Is So Dangerous
From weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman: A flash flood is one that happens suddenly, usually in the span of an hour, but sometimes in just minutes.
It can happen when heavy rain falls over already soaked ground or mountainous terrain, turning usually placid creeks and streams into rushing torrents spilling out of their banks.
Underpasses and other low-lying areas of cities and towns can flood quickly when storm sewers can't drain water running off paved surfaces fast enough.
The most extreme flash flood events can be destructive and deadly, flooding homes and trapping motorists.
(MORE: What To Do In A Flash Flood Emergency)
(11:02 a.m. ET) Roads Washed Out, Flooded In Paso Robles
According to the San Luis Obispo County Public Works Department, a part of Chimney Rock Road in Paso Robles, California, washed out due to heavy rain.
The agency noted that several other area roads were covered by water and impassable.
(9:54 a.m. ET) Reservoir Levels Lowered
With Friday's atmospheric river storm dumping rain and another expected next week, California officials have begun releasing water from various reservoirs.
Fed by a pipeline of moisture known as the Pineapple Express, this week's storm could cause flooding in at least 10 rivers and creeks, many of which overflowed when nine atmospheric river storms drenched the state in January. Nearly two dozen people died during the January storms.
“This is a very dynamic system,” Department of Water Resources director Karla Nemeth said Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Rivers and creeks can rise very quickly, and so it does have the potential to be a dangerous situation, particularly in areas that had experienced flooding before.”
Reservoirs being lowered include Lake Oroville, Lake Shasta, Millerton Lake and Folsom Lake, the Times reported.
(9:27 a.m. ET) Interstate Closed In Oakland
All lanes of Interstate 580 in Oakland from MacArthur Boulevard/High Street to 35th Avenue are closed because of flooding, according to CalTrans
(8:13 a.m. ET) Deputies Order Residents To Leave
Deputies went door to door around midnight in Felton Grove warning residents to evacuate because the San Lorenzo River was rising, according to KABC. Santa Cruz County posted a Facebook notice saying Felton Grove, Paradise Park and Soquel Village were being evacuated.
Sean Gianni, a Felton Grove resident, told the station it was his fourth time being evacuated.
"The river comes like super far up, there are a couple of houses in the neighborhood that aren't even raised so they are going to go completely underwater," he said.
(8 a.m. ET) Mudslides Close Santa Cruz Roads
State Road 129 is closed between Murphy Crossing Road and U.S. Highway 101 because of slides, the California Highway Patrol reports. The area is near the Pajaro River. Mulitple landslide have also closed State Road 152 at Casserly Road, the CHP says.
(7:54 a.m. ET) Flooding in Morgan Hill
The city of Morgan Hill reports that the Little Llagas Creek is flooding some roadways in the city.
Evacuations Ordered in Watsonville
The city of Watsonville, in Santa Cruz County, ordered evacuations for neighborhoods with a high risk of flooding. The order included several streets west of Corralitos Creek.
Falling Tree Crushes Tesla
Two people escaped serious injury when a tree crashed down onto a Tesla on Highway 35 at Old La Honda Road near Portola Valley, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.
"Both passengers are expected to be ok," the office said in a tweet.
KABC reported that one of the people in the car had leg injuries and was taken to a hospital.
Tens Of Thousands Without Electricity
More than 67,000 homes and businesses in California had lost power as of 6 a.m. ET, according to poweroutage.us. More than half of those were in Monterrey County.
Roads Flooded in Santa Rosa
The Santa Rosa Fire Department says Highway 12 and other roads in the city in Sonoma County were flooded overnight.
Paul Lowenthal, a division chief with the department, told KABC saturated soils and the Glass Fire burn scar worried him.
"We are still at risk with our Glass Fire. The Glass Fire burn scar from 2020 has not regrown like it should have. So, the water tends to come off that hill a lot more rapidly than it does most of our hillsides," Lowenthal said.
Mudslide Closes Road In Sonoma County
A mudslide blocked Green Hill Road between between Graton and Occidental roads on Thursday evening, according to the Press Democrat.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
