California experience major rain and snowfall from a storm

• Saturday’s rainfall in downtown San Francisco exceeded 5 inches.
• Up to 2 feet of snow could accumulate in the high Sierra Nevada by early Sunday.
• Flooding has caused a section of U.S. 101, one of the state’s main thoroughfares.

Saturday’s rainfall in downtown San Francisco exceeded 5 inches, making it the city’s second-wettest day ever.
As the state prepared to ring in the new year, a strong storm on Saturday dumped pouring rain or heavy snowfall over most of California, clogging up traffic and closing roadways.

Up to 2 feet of snow could accumulate in the high Sierra Nevada by early Sunday. The National Weather Service in Sacramento issued a traffic advisory and shared images of traffic on snow-covered mountain passes where four-wheel drive or chains were required for automobiles.

A lengthy and wide plume of moisture was being drawn in from the Pacific Ocean by the so-called “atmospheric river storm.” In Northern California, some of the roadways were closed due to flooding and rock slides.

The meteorological service in Sacramento tweeted in the afternoon that there were “too many road closures to count at this point.” Wilton’s residents were advised to flee by Sacramento County, which expressed concern that flooded roads might “block off access to escape the area.”

The amount of rain that fell in downtown San Francisco on Saturday peaked at 5 inches by midday, making it the second-wettest day on record, only behind a torrential downpour in November 1994. It might jeopardise the record that has stood for almost three decades if rain keeps falling.

According to the California Highway Patrol, flooding has caused a section of U.S. 101, one of the state’s main thoroughfares, to be temporarily closed south of San Francisco. Twitter users posted videos of mud-colored water rushing along streets in San Francisco and an Oakland staircase that had been transformed into a true cascade by the downpour.

Before moving south, the storm, according to Weather Service meteorologist Courtney Carpenter, could dump over an inch of rain in the Sacramento region. One ski area south of Lake Tahoe shut down its chairlifts due to flooding and other issues, and it tweeted a picture of one lift tower with its empty chairs submerged in water.

Carpenter reported that flooding was widespread.

A chart of 24-hour precipitation through Saturday morning, issued by the Sacramento agency, shows a broad variation of regional totals, from less than an inch in some locations to more than 5 inches in the Sierra foothills.

Numerous lifts were closed, according to the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, due to ice, reduced visibility, and strong gusts.

Photos showed a railroad underpass covered in water and a car that seemed to be stuck in more than a foot (30 centimetres) of water were shared by the Stockton Police Department.

In California’s drought-stricken state, the rain was welcomed, but much more precipitation is required to noticeably alter the situation. California has had its driest three years ever.

According to the National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada, a winter storm warning was in place through Sunday for the upper elevations of the Sierra from south of Yosemite National Park to north of Lake Tahoe, where up to 5 feet (1.5 metres) of snow is possible on the mountains.

Through New Year’s Eve, a large portion of Northern California was under a flood watch. Residents were asked to prepare sandbags after officials issued a warning that rivers and streams could overflow.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, some rainfall totals exceeded 4 inches.

Highway 70 east of Chico was partially stopped by a slide, while the northbound side of Highway 49 east of Sacramento was closed due to floods, according to the state transportation office, which also reported numerous other road closures. Highway 50 in El Dorado County, which is east of Sacramento, was blocked due to flooding.

Roadways in Humboldt County, where a 6.4 magnitude earthquake occurred on December 20, started to flood, according to the Eureka office of the National Weather Service. If the Eel River, which it spans, rises too high, a bridge that was briefly closed last week due to earthquake damage might be closed once more, officials said.

The storm was the first of many that were predicted to hit California over the following week. According to Hannah Chandler-Cooley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento, the present system is forecast to be warmer and wetter while next week’s storms will be cooler.

Over the course of the week, the Sacramento region could see a total of 4 to 5 inches of rain, according to Chandler-Cooley.

The meteorological service in Reno warned that “strong winds might destroy trees and result in power outages, and large waves on Lake Tahoe could capsize small vessels.”

South of Yosemite, the wilderness near Lake Tahoe and Mammoth Lakes was under avalanche warnings.

On the eastern flank of the Sierra, minor to moderate flooding was anticipated along certain rivers and streams, prompting the issuance of flood watches and warnings into the weekend north and south of Reno, Nevada.

On Saturday, moderate to heavy rain fell throughout Southern California. On New Year’s Day, the area will start to dry off, and Pasadena’s Rose Parade on Monday is predicted to be rain-free.

The National Weather Service in Oxnard predicted that Tuesday or Wednesday might see another wave of heavy showers.

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