More wind, rain and snow as storm hits California

Los Angeles – Storm-hit California saw more wind, rain and snow on Saturday, raising concerns about flooding, causing power outages and making travel dangerous.

A band of rain accompanied by gusty winds is expected to begin in the north and spread southwards, with more storms expected through early next week, the National Weather Service said.

More than 68,000 utility customers had no electricity on Saturday morning, and that number had fallen by more than half by the afternoon, it said. poweroutage.us.

Flood warnings have been issued for areas north of San Francisco Bay, including Marin, Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties.

In the south, warnings were posted in parts of counties such as San Mateo and Santa Cruz, and the small community of Felton Grove on the San Lorenzo River was ordered to evacuate. An evacuation order was also issued. Authorities cited the threat of flooding from the Kosmnes River.

A swollen Salinas River flooded Monterey County farmlands, and eastward, flood warnings were issued for Merced County, a farmland in the Central Valley where Governor Gavin Newsom visited to investigate the storm problem.

At a briefing with local leaders, Newsom urged people to be vigilant about safety over the next 24.48 hours.

“This is happening all over California, and I want to say … you are taking the brunt of it disproportionately. If you feel that way, you are right,” Newsom said. Told.

President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster in the state and ordered federal aid to supplement local recovery efforts in the affected areas.

Smooth roads, snow and whiteout conditions plagued the highway through the Sierra Nevada mountains.

The University of California, Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab received 21.3 inches (54 cm) of snow in 24 hours Saturday morning, with nearly 10 feet (3 m) of snow cover expected to grow by a few more feet by Monday. Tweeted.

backcountry avalanche warning Issued for the Central Sierra, which includes the greater Lake Tahoe region.

series atmospheric river Has rained and snowed in California ever since Late Decembercut power to thousands, flood roads, unleash debris flowand cause landslides.

At least 19 storm-related deaths have occurred and a 5-year-old boy remains missing after being swept out of his mother’s car by floodwaters in San Luis Obispo County.

At a briefing by state and federal officials on Friday, California Highway Patrol Commissioner Sean Duryea said half of the deaths involved motorists and could have been prevented if drivers had heeded road closure signs. He said that there is

In Santa Barbara County, large amount of debris flow Residents were told through the community of Montecito, where 23 people died on 9 January 2018, that no new evacuations were expected, but preparations were needed.

Montecito and neighboring areas were ordered to be evacuated last Monday. “1/9 debris flow” However, communities located at the foot of coastal mountains escaped serious damage.

Newsom, who visited Montecito on Friday, urged residents to be vigilant and heed warnings from security officials.

“I know how tired you are,” Newsom said. “Please stay a little more vigilant until next weekend.”

A dry day is in the forecast for next week in California starting Tuesday.

“The question is will it stay dry until the end of the month,” wrote the San Francisco Bay Area Weather Service.

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AP reporter Janie Har contributed from San Francisco. AP/Report for America writer Sophie Austin contributed from Mother, California.