California drowns as 27,000 residents are ordered to evacuate and 330,000 lose power

Another atmospheric river flooded California on Tuesday, worsening the pressures facing residents still trying to recover from weeks of relentless storms.

The latest storm put nearly 27,000 people under evacuation orders due to risks of flooding and landslides and caused 16 major rivers to overflow in the state.

On the Pajaro River, a breached levee caused by a similar storm on Friday burst its banks again, flooding farms, roads and submerging the entire town of Pajaro and forcing thousands of residents to flee.

Atmospheric rivers are so named because they are caused by narrow, river-like formations of concentrated moisture in the atmosphere. They can dump large amounts of rain, causing flooding and landslides.

Parts of downtown Pajaro remain flooded after a levee broke on the Pajaro River in Monterey County following another storm on Friday.

An atmospheric river caused extensive river flooding in more than 16 locations across the state

Atmospheric rivers are so named because they are caused by narrow, river-like formations of concentrated moisture in the atmosphere (shown in pink)

California’s newest atmospheric river is expected to continue to affect the state through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

“Lives and property are in great danger Tuesday through Wednesday,” the weather service said in its California forecast, warning residents to expect flash flooding in areas that don’t normally experience it.

Damaging winds with speeds of 70 mph blew out windows and there were numerous reports of falling trees.

The power outages affected more than 330,000 utility customers in the north and central areas, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks outages across the country.

Crews raced to stabilize the broken Pajaro River levee Tuesday, placing rocks and cobbles to finish filling the gap that was opened March 10. The breached levee is about 70 miles south of San Francisco.

Tuesday’s storm initially spread light to moderate rain over the northern and central parts of the state. The National Weather Service said the storm was moving faster than expected and most of the precipitation would move south.

“Even a small amount of rain could have a major impact,” Shaunna Murray of the Monterey County Water Resources Agency said Tuesday during a news conference.

Strong winds damaged the windows of a San Francisco skyscraper, sending glass raining down and forcing an evacuation of the building in the financial district.

No injuries were immediately reported. A gust to 74 mph was recorded at the city’s airport, the weather service said.

A California license plate is seen in an area affected by flooding after days of heavy rain in Pajaro

The broken levee is being repaired on the Pajaro River in Monterey County

Laundry carts sit in flood waters outside the flooded Pajaro Coin Laundromat on March 14

A military vehicle drives through floodwaters in Pajaro, California

Flooding surrounds farm machinery in the community of Pájaro in Monterey County

So far this winter, California has been hit by 10 atmospheric rivers, as well as powerful storms fueled by arctic air that produced blizzard conditions.

In addition to evacuation orders, more than 71,600 people were under evacuation warnings and 546 people were in shelters as of Tuesday morning, said Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the California Office of Emergency Services. Updated figures were not immediately available.

More flooding was expected on the central coast, where the Pajaro levee gave way. Authorities had received no reports of storm-related deaths or missing persons as of Monday.

Pajaro is an unincorporated community known for its strawberry farms and was almost completely flooded. More than 8,500 people have been instructed to evacuate and nearly 250 people have been rescued by rescuers since Friday.

“We live seven houses from the river and the water level was six feet, probably seven,” said evacuee Andres Garcia. So we probably lost everything.

The weather service has forecast that the atmospheric river it will continue to “produce numerous rounds of heavy rain and mountain snow for the central/southern parts of the state through tonight.”

He continued: ‘Heavy rainfall combined with snowmelt below 5,000 feet is likely to result in widespread instances of flooding, especially in areas still extremely vulnerable from recent rainfall.

‘Some significant flood impacts are possible. Widespread flood watches, warnings, and advisories are in effect, along with a high risk (level 4/4) of excessive precipitation in parts of the southern Sierra Nevada foothills and central/southern California coast.

Authorities had received no reports of storm-related deaths or missing persons as of Monday.

A couple pulls coins out of the washers inside the flooded Pájaro coin laundromat

In its California forecast, the National Weather Service said: “Life and property are in great danger Tuesday through Wednesday.”

Atmospheric rivers can carry up to 15 times the volume of the Mississippi River, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They appear as a trail of wispy clouds that can extend for hundreds of miles.

In 2019, an atmospheric river dubbed the ‘Pineapple Express’ reached California. Water vapor from nearby Hawaii brought rain, triggered mudslides and forced motorists to swim for their lives.

In 2021, an atmospheric river dumped a month’s worth of rain on British Columbia in two days, triggering fatal floods and mudslides, devastating communities and cutting off access to Canada’s largest port.

There are projected to be 10 percent fewer atmospheric rivers in the future, but they are expected to be 25 percent wider and longer and carry more water, according to a research work of 2018.