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Californians have been warned to prepare for more devastating storms as a succession of atmospheric rivers continue to dump torrents of rain and flooding on the already battered state.
The National Weather Service has warned that the west coast “remains the target of a relentless parade of cyclones,” after heavy rain and wind have already killed at least 12 people in the past 10 days.
At least 100,000 Californians lost power Sunday night, with some counties ordering evacuations due to “imminent” flooding and wind gusts expected to reach 60 miles per hour.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency last week, and weather services say much of California could face “significant” flooding risks until storms abate by midweek.
Officials fear that the dangers facing residents will be compounded by the frequency with which each storm has and will continue to follow the one before.
Without time for cleanup and damage mitigation between bouts of rain, sleet, snow, and wind, problems could build on one another.
“Rain longevity and intensity, combined with the cumulative effect of successive heavy rain events dating back to late December, will result in widespread and potentially significant flooding impacts,” the Weather Prediction Center said Sunday.
“Numerous flash flood events likely, some possibly significant, especially over burn scars,” the Center added, noting that terrain disturbed by the region’s recent wildfires could amplify the problems.
Last week, a road swept away by flooding in California after the state’s recent flooding.
On Wednesday, cars plowed into huge puddles of water from ongoing severe California storms.
The National Weather Service said the ground has been so inundated by rain in previous days that it is vulnerable to increasingly dangerous conditions as more rain falls.
“While some of the forecasted rainfall totals are impressive on their own, it’s important to note that what really sets this event apart is the preceding conditions,” the NWS warned.
Multiple systems over the last week have saturated the ground, increased flow in rivers and streams, and really set the stage for this to become a high impact event.’
Up to 12 inches of rain could fall in many parts of California between now and Wednesday, with two successive, prolonged storms.
“Tuesday is probably the day you’ll likely need to keep a very close eye on the weather, as the potential for widespread river, creek, creek and highway flooding and urban flooding will be at an all-time high over the next week as all the runoff and heavy rainfall comes together and results in a disaster,” the Sacramento weather service office said.
On Saturday, a surfer watches the big waves caused by the storm surge
More than 400,000 buildings finally had power restored Sunday, according to PowerOutage.us, after previous storms blacked them out.
San Francisco has already started flooding, and Department of Emergency Management Executive Director Mary Ellen Carroll said sinkholes and mudslides have started.
“We are seeing sinkholes in our streets, some of them. We’re seeing mudslides, nothing significant right now,” Carroll said, according to CNN. “But the more rain and less weather in between, we know we’re going to see more of those conditions.”
He also warned that the city’s underground communications infrastructure could be compromised.
“As we get more flooding from rain, we see more failures around that, what we call lifeline systems,” he said.
Sacramento County residents have been warned to evacuate earlier in preparation for flooding.
“Out of an abundance of caution, residents should leave now before the roads become impassable. The increased water may spill onto the nearest roads and cut off access to get out of the area,” the Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services said.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Coroner also issued an evacuation warning, advising them to prepare ahead of time for a sudden flight.
“If possible, consider moving before the start of the weather system,” the warning read.
And in the Central Valley, Stockton public schools are closed Monday for “extreme weather conditions.” Numerous other schools across the state have followed suit.
Photos of the deluge showed huge waves crashing on the California coast and downed trees in streets and yards.
Roads have been washed away by floodwaters, and home and business owners have piled sandbags in front of their properties to try to divert floodwaters.
Although the body of the storms is expected to subside by mid-week, weather experts predict that things are likely to remain wet for weeks to come.
“Overall, there is high confidence (60-80%) that this wetter-than-normal pattern will continue for the next two weeks,” the San Francisco weather service said. “While we don’t have details on how much above-normal rain will fall, suffice to say that continued saturated soils could continue to present hazards into the third week of January.”