By — Nic Coury, Associated Press Nic Coury, Associated Press By — Stefanie Dazio, Associated Press Stefanie Dazio, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/photos-atmospheric-river-leaves-california-inundated-with-another-in-the-forecast Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter PHOTOS: Atmospheric river leaves California inundated, with another in the forecast Nation Mar 12, 2023 2:46 PM EDT WATSONVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Wet, miserable weather continued across huge swaths of California on Sunday as an atmospheric river that caused major flooding flowed eastward and makes way for another onslaught of rain and snow — accompanied by strong gusts — that could yet again pummel the beleaguered region as soon as Monday night. The National Weather Service said the next torrent could exacerbate the severe flooding that overwhelmed the area in the past few days, including a levee failure that prompted widespread evacuations Saturday in farming communities near the state’s Central Coast. WATCH: Atmospheric river hits portions of California, compounding weather woes The next weather system is not expected to bring as much rain, but weather officials nevertheless cautioned that “considerable flooding” could occur in lower elevations from additional rain and snowmelt that could swell creeks and streams. “Definitely prepare for some more flooding impacts. The ground is very saturated. We’re already seeing some impacts from some light amounts even today,” National Weather Service forecaster Eleanor Dhuyvetter said Sunday. People view the wreckage of a bridge over the Tule River that was destroyed in a flash flood on March 10, 2023 near Springville, California. Photo by David McNew/Getty Images Workers install a new culvert after the road was washed out in an atmospheric river storm system in Soquel, California, March 10, 2023. Photo by Nathan Frandino/REUTERS Cars detour on flooded Road 144 as both sides of Highway 99 closed due to major flooding in Earlimart of Tulare County on March 11, 2023 as atmospheric river storms hit California. Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images The rain and snow is expected to extend from Central California to Oregon, as well as northern Nevada. Of particular concern are the strong winds that are expected to accompany the approaching weather system. NWS is predicting wind gusts of up to 50 mph (81 kph) in some places — which could potentially snap tree branches and damage power lines. Fortunately, the new storm is a fast-moving one which means it won’t have time to dump as much rain. As much as a foot of rain fell in the Big Sur area of the state over a two-day period, according to weather data. Authorities suggest that residents have a plan in case further evacuations orders are issued. Across Monterey County, more than 8,500 people were evacuated Saturday, including roughly 1,700 residents — many of them Latino farmworkers — from the unincorporated community of Pajaro. READ MORE: Northern California levee breached in storm, forcing thousands to evacuate The atmospheric river, known as a “Pineapple Express” because it brought warm subtropical moisture across the Pacific from near Hawaii, was melting lower parts of the huge snowpack built in California’s mountains. Because of the massive flooding over the early weekend, more than 50 people had to be rescued by first responders and the California National Guard. One video showed a member of the Guard helping a driver out of a car trapped by water up to their waists. This aerial photograph shows cars and homes engulfed by floodwaters in Pajaro, California on Saturday, March 11, 2023. Residents were forced to evacuate in the middle of the night after an atmospheric river surge broke the the Pajaro Levee and sent flood waters flowing into the community. Photo by Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images An aerial photograph shows two individuals standing in a small patch of road emerging from floodwaters in Pajaro, California on March 11, 2023. Photo by Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images The extent of property damages was still uncertain but Luis Alejo, the chair of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, sought help from the state and federal governments. “The need will be great! Will take months for our residents to repair homes!” he wrote in a tweet Saturday. Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared emergencies in 34 counties in recent weeks, and the Biden administration approved a presidential disaster declaration for some on Friday morning, a move that will bring more federal assistance. President Joe Biden spoke with Newsom on Saturday to pledge the federal government’s support in California’s response to the emergency, the White House said. Weather-related power outages affected more than 17,000 customers in Monterey County late Saturday, according to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. The governor’s office said it was continuing to monitor the situation in Pajaro. An aerial photograph shows train cars, vehicles and homes in floodwaters in Pajaro, California on March 11, 2023. Photo by Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images The Pajaro River separates the counties of Santa Cruz and Monterey in the area that flooded Saturday. Floodwaters that got into the region’s wells might be contaminated with chemicals, officials said, and residents were told not to drink or cook with tap water. Officials had been working along the levee in the hopes of shoring it up when it was breached around midnight Friday into Saturday. Crews began working to fix the levee around daybreak Saturday as residents slept in evacuation centers. This week’s storm marked the state’s 10th atmospheric river of the winter, storms that have brought enormous amounts of rain and snow to the state and helped lessen the drought conditions that had dragged on for three years. State reservoirs that had dipped to strikingly low levels are now well above the average for this time of year, prompting state officials to release water from dams to assist with flood control and make room for even more rain. People shovel snow from a roof near snowbanks piled up from current and previous storms in the Sierra Nevada mountains, in the wake of an atmospheric river that brought heavy snowfall to the area, on March 11, 2023 in Mammoth Lakes, California. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images Alvaro Villagrana uses a snowblower to try to clear a snowbank at a motel as snow continues to fall in the Sierra Nevada mountains, on March 11, 2023 in Mammoth Lakes, California. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images People assist a car stuck in the snow as coyotes run near Mammoth Mountain, as snow continues to fall in the Sierra Nevada mountains, on March 11, 2023 in Mammoth Lakes, California. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images In San Francisco, an 85-foot (25.91 meter) eucalyptus tree fell onto the Trocadero Clubhouse early Saturday morning. The 1892 clubhouse, a San Francisco historical landmark, was left severely damaged, with part of the roof crushed and the inside flooded. Funnel clouds were spotted in the Jamestown area — the heart of California’s Gold Rush — on Saturday afternoon and the weather service issued a tornado warning — later canceled — for the Sierra Nevada foothills as severe thunderstorms, hail and high winds blanketed the region. Another set of tornado warnings were briefly issued in Fresno County, nearly 100 miles (161 kilometers) south of Gold Country. Flash flooding warnings were in effect late Saturday in Tuolumne County, with roads submerged around Sonora and neighboring communities. Dazio reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press reporter Bobby Caina Calvan contributed from New York. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Nic Coury, Associated Press Nic Coury, Associated Press By — Stefanie Dazio, Associated Press Stefanie Dazio, Associated Press
WATSONVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Wet, miserable weather continued across huge swaths of California on Sunday as an atmospheric river that caused major flooding flowed eastward and makes way for another onslaught of rain and snow — accompanied by strong gusts — that could yet again pummel the beleaguered region as soon as Monday night. The National Weather Service said the next torrent could exacerbate the severe flooding that overwhelmed the area in the past few days, including a levee failure that prompted widespread evacuations Saturday in farming communities near the state’s Central Coast. WATCH: Atmospheric river hits portions of California, compounding weather woes The next weather system is not expected to bring as much rain, but weather officials nevertheless cautioned that “considerable flooding” could occur in lower elevations from additional rain and snowmelt that could swell creeks and streams. “Definitely prepare for some more flooding impacts. The ground is very saturated. We’re already seeing some impacts from some light amounts even today,” National Weather Service forecaster Eleanor Dhuyvetter said Sunday. People view the wreckage of a bridge over the Tule River that was destroyed in a flash flood on March 10, 2023 near Springville, California. Photo by David McNew/Getty Images Workers install a new culvert after the road was washed out in an atmospheric river storm system in Soquel, California, March 10, 2023. Photo by Nathan Frandino/REUTERS Cars detour on flooded Road 144 as both sides of Highway 99 closed due to major flooding in Earlimart of Tulare County on March 11, 2023 as atmospheric river storms hit California. Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images The rain and snow is expected to extend from Central California to Oregon, as well as northern Nevada. Of particular concern are the strong winds that are expected to accompany the approaching weather system. NWS is predicting wind gusts of up to 50 mph (81 kph) in some places — which could potentially snap tree branches and damage power lines. Fortunately, the new storm is a fast-moving one which means it won’t have time to dump as much rain. As much as a foot of rain fell in the Big Sur area of the state over a two-day period, according to weather data. Authorities suggest that residents have a plan in case further evacuations orders are issued. Across Monterey County, more than 8,500 people were evacuated Saturday, including roughly 1,700 residents — many of them Latino farmworkers — from the unincorporated community of Pajaro. READ MORE: Northern California levee breached in storm, forcing thousands to evacuate The atmospheric river, known as a “Pineapple Express” because it brought warm subtropical moisture across the Pacific from near Hawaii, was melting lower parts of the huge snowpack built in California’s mountains. Because of the massive flooding over the early weekend, more than 50 people had to be rescued by first responders and the California National Guard. One video showed a member of the Guard helping a driver out of a car trapped by water up to their waists. This aerial photograph shows cars and homes engulfed by floodwaters in Pajaro, California on Saturday, March 11, 2023. Residents were forced to evacuate in the middle of the night after an atmospheric river surge broke the the Pajaro Levee and sent flood waters flowing into the community. Photo by Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images An aerial photograph shows two individuals standing in a small patch of road emerging from floodwaters in Pajaro, California on March 11, 2023. Photo by Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images The extent of property damages was still uncertain but Luis Alejo, the chair of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, sought help from the state and federal governments. “The need will be great! Will take months for our residents to repair homes!” he wrote in a tweet Saturday. Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared emergencies in 34 counties in recent weeks, and the Biden administration approved a presidential disaster declaration for some on Friday morning, a move that will bring more federal assistance. President Joe Biden spoke with Newsom on Saturday to pledge the federal government’s support in California’s response to the emergency, the White House said. Weather-related power outages affected more than 17,000 customers in Monterey County late Saturday, according to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. The governor’s office said it was continuing to monitor the situation in Pajaro. An aerial photograph shows train cars, vehicles and homes in floodwaters in Pajaro, California on March 11, 2023. Photo by Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images The Pajaro River separates the counties of Santa Cruz and Monterey in the area that flooded Saturday. Floodwaters that got into the region’s wells might be contaminated with chemicals, officials said, and residents were told not to drink or cook with tap water. Officials had been working along the levee in the hopes of shoring it up when it was breached around midnight Friday into Saturday. Crews began working to fix the levee around daybreak Saturday as residents slept in evacuation centers. This week’s storm marked the state’s 10th atmospheric river of the winter, storms that have brought enormous amounts of rain and snow to the state and helped lessen the drought conditions that had dragged on for three years. State reservoirs that had dipped to strikingly low levels are now well above the average for this time of year, prompting state officials to release water from dams to assist with flood control and make room for even more rain. People shovel snow from a roof near snowbanks piled up from current and previous storms in the Sierra Nevada mountains, in the wake of an atmospheric river that brought heavy snowfall to the area, on March 11, 2023 in Mammoth Lakes, California. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images Alvaro Villagrana uses a snowblower to try to clear a snowbank at a motel as snow continues to fall in the Sierra Nevada mountains, on March 11, 2023 in Mammoth Lakes, California. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images People assist a car stuck in the snow as coyotes run near Mammoth Mountain, as snow continues to fall in the Sierra Nevada mountains, on March 11, 2023 in Mammoth Lakes, California. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images In San Francisco, an 85-foot (25.91 meter) eucalyptus tree fell onto the Trocadero Clubhouse early Saturday morning. The 1892 clubhouse, a San Francisco historical landmark, was left severely damaged, with part of the roof crushed and the inside flooded. Funnel clouds were spotted in the Jamestown area — the heart of California’s Gold Rush — on Saturday afternoon and the weather service issued a tornado warning — later canceled — for the Sierra Nevada foothills as severe thunderstorms, hail and high winds blanketed the region. Another set of tornado warnings were briefly issued in Fresno County, nearly 100 miles (161 kilometers) south of Gold Country. Flash flooding warnings were in effect late Saturday in Tuolumne County, with roads submerged around Sonora and neighboring communities. Dazio reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press reporter Bobby Caina Calvan contributed from New York. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now