Updated Jan. 19, 4:07 p.m.
The Sacramento Valley — and much of Northern California — has experienced a series of powerful and deadly storm systems over the past month, though forecasters are expecting drier weather as the week goes on.
California has experienced seven atmospheric rivers since Dec. 21. At least 20 people have died across the state and thousands have been evacuated. Many more have experienced power outages or damage from downed trees caused by extreme wind storms.
- On Dec. 31, heavy rains breached levees along the Cosumnes River and forced flooding in several southern Sacramento County areas. At least three people have been found dead near flood zones. More than 150,000 SMUD customers lost power.
- Another system started Jan. 3. Though milder in the Sacramento region, roughly 500,000 PG&E customers also lost power Wednesday and Thursday, mostly in coastal counties and the Bay Area.
- On Jan. 7, more than 500,000 California homes and businesses, including 350,000 SMUD customers, lost power in a devastating wind storm.
- Over the past week, continued rain brought flood concerns and evacuations in the valley, while heavy snow snarled mountain travel. A federal emergency was declared for much of the state, where flooding and mudslides hit coastal and southern central valley counties.
On Sunday, forecasters with the National Weather Service said they expect further rain through Wednesday, but a possible dry stretch starting Thursday through the weekend.
CapRadio will be providing updates on the storms here. We also have resources available to help you through the storms:
Thursday, Jan. 19
3:30 p.m.: President Biden surveys storm damage in Santa Cruz area during California visit
President Joe Biden surveyed storm damage in Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties with California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday afternoon. Nine back-to-back atmospheric rivers have pummeled the state since late December, forcing flooding along highways, massive power outages, and at least 21 deaths, Newsom said.
Biden arrived in Santa Clara County on Thursday morning, where he and Newsom boarded a helicopter for an aerial tour of flooding and mudslides in the Santa Cruz area.
“Unlike when we did the aerial tour of the fires, it's not as obvious from the air just how much damage has been done,” Biden said. “Drenching rains, powerful winds, floods, landslides. But you don't feel it until you walk the streets.”
They also visited Capitola and Aptos — two coastal towns experiencing significant damage from strong winds, heavy rain and flooding — meeting with business owners and local first responders to assess the need for future federal assistance.
President Joe Biden talks with Paradise Beach Grille co-owners Chuck Maier and Ally Gotlieb, left, as he visits with business owners and local residents in Capitola, Calif., Thursday, Jan 19, 2023.AP Photo/Susan Walsh
“If anybody doubts that climate is changing, they must have been asleep for the last couple years,” Biden said after his tour at a press gaggle in Aptos.
He added that over 500 FEMA employees have been deployed across the state to assist with recovery efforts, and encouraged storm victims to register for assistance by visiting disasterassistance.gov or a Local Assistance Center.
Biden also touched on commitments to mitigating future climate disasters, like federal infrastructure investments.
“These weeks have shown the compounding effect of the disaster. For example, places that were ravaged by past wildfires are now at a higher risk of landslides,” he said. “Extreme weather caused by climate change means stronger and more frequent storms, more intense droughts, longer wildfire seasons, all of which threaten communities across California. So we have to invest in stronger infrastructure to lessen the impacts of these disasters because they become cumulative.”
1:30 p.m.: San Joaquin County added to federal major disaster declaration
San Joaquin County was added to President Joe Biden’s major disaster declaration on Thursday, county officials announced, expanding access to funding for both individuals and local governments.
“This is the news we have been waiting to receive,” said Tiffany Heyer with San Joaquin County’s Office of Emergency Services. “Individuals who have experienced storm damage caused by flooding, wind, and other storm related causes may now qualify for much needed individual assistance.”
Biden’s initial declaration was issued on Jan. 14 in response to damage caused by back-to-back storms, and only included Sacramento, Santa Cruz and Merced counties. On Wednesday, the declaration was expanded to include Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties.
Federal assistance could come in the form of grants for temporary housing and home repairs and loans to cover property losses, among other things. The expanded declaration will provide longer-term emergency response, funding and assistance to more individuals and families.
County officials said a Local Assistance Center will be established to help connect residents with resources in coming days. In the meantime, emergency response organizations urge storm victims to contact their insurance company first, and then register for disaster assistance by visiting disasterassistance.gov, calling 800-621-3362 or using the FEMA app.
12:40 p.m.: Sacramento County ends emergency weather respite services
Sacramento County announced it is closing emergency shelters and returning to “normal winter respite operations” on Thursday.
The county opened Cal Expo as an evacuation center on Jan. 12 after heavy rain forced water levels along the American River to rise, prompting the closure of Miller Park, the location of a safe parking site for unhoused Sacramentans.
Now, the majority of visitors of the Cal Expo emergency shelter are “being transitioned to other existing county sheltering programs,” officials said. However, the county is opening an overnight respite center at the DHA 28th Street Lobby for guests as those transitions are finalized. That space will be open between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. through the weekend, and has capacity for roughly 60 people.
County officials also mentioned its motel voucher program was successful during recent storms, with more than 380 people utilizing the service.
“While expensive, the program does not require internal staffing overnight, clients are more likely to say ‘yes’ to a private, 24/7 space and capacity is only limited by the number of available rooms through the motel partners,” officials said in a prepared release. They added that they plan to work with hotels in the area to increase the program’s capacity in the future.
“The last several weeks of extreme weather that brought continuous rain and high winds and caused flooding, dangerous downed trees and power lines, and several evacuations were really hard on the Sacramento area,” officials said. “But it also shed a light on the beauty of collaboration between government, non-profit agencies, advocates and community partners to help serve the most vulnerable — the unhoused residents of Sacramento County.”
The Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services has also lifted all previously-issued evacuation orders and warnings and most county parks are reopening.
Wednesday, Jan. 18
5:01 p.m.: Local Assistance Shelter to open in Sacramento county to help storm victims
A Local Assistance Shelter (LAC) opened in Galt on Wednesday to help Sacramento county storm victims access federal resources.
LACs are often activated after major disasters — like wildfires, earthquakes, and in this case, storms — to help affected residents get connected to resources aimed at helping with recovery.
The LAC is being operated by the county, FEMA and the state’s Office of Emergency Services. It’s located at the Chabolla Community Center in Galt, and will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., county officials said Wednesday.
Representatives with FEMA, California Department of Insurance, DMV, County Economic Development and Behavioral Health Services will be on-site to connect storm victims with necessary resources.
Sacramento County officials are also urging residents who suffered damage during storms to contact their insurance companies first, fill out the Sacramento County Disaster Damage Report form and to register for disaster assistance by visiting the LAC or disasterassistance.gov, calling 800-621-3362 or using the FEMA app.
1:30 p.m.: Federal major disaster declaration for California expanded
Three more counties have been added to California’s federal major disaster declaration, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced on Wednesday.
Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties were added to the declaration, joining Merced, Sacramento and Santa Cruz counties. The initial declaration was first issued on Saturday in response to flooding and other damage caused by back-to-back intense storms.
Federal assistance could come in the form of grants for temporary housing and home repairs and loans to cover property losses, among other things. The expanded declaration will provide longer-term emergency response, funding and assistance to more individuals and families.
11:30 a.m.: Sacramento to see last round of rain ‘for at least the next week’ on Wednesday
The Sacramento region is forecast to see the “last winter storm for at least the next week” on Wednesday afternoon and evening, meteorologists with the National Weather Service said.
Light to moderate rain is forecast for valley regions, and moderate to heavy snow for the Sierra, according to the weather service. Officials are warning against mountain travel.
7:15 a.m.: Highway 99 near Lodi reopens
As of early this morning, Caltrans announced the re-opening of segments of Highway 99. At the moment, only southbound lanes have reopened. Northbound lanes from Turner Road, Lodi to Peltier Road and Acampo Road all remain closed.
The highway had been closed since Monday due to flooding.
Tuesday, Jan. 17
8:10 p.m.: Highway 99 remains closed near Lodi Tuesday evening
Caltrans said Tuesday night there is no estimate for when they can reopen Highway 99, which has been closed near Lodi since Monday due to flooding.
Crews have been using two sump pumps to force flood water nearly 5,000 feet from Highway 99 at Woodbridge Road to the Mokelumne River to the south, Caltrans said in a statement. The road is closed from Turner Road in Lodi to Peltier Road in Acampo due to the flooding.
11:36 a.m.: Evacuation warning lifted for Wilton and surrounding areas
Sacramento County has lifted an evacuation warning for the Wilton, Rancho Murieta, Herald and Dillard Road area that had been in place since Saturday.
The county Office of Emergency Services issued the warning due to flood concerns, later upgrading the warning to an order just for Wilton. The order was downgraded back to a warning Sunday.
Officials warned residents that rain and winds remain in the forecast for Wednesday and that conditions can change quickly.
"Those returning home or venturing out onto the roads should remain alert to localized flooding and road conditions, emergency response and maintenance crews are still working to clear roads and restore outages," the county wrote in a press release.
This was the third consecutive weekend Wilton residents were ordered to evacuate. During New Year’s weekend, residents attempting to leave encountered fast-rising water, prompting several rescue operations. At least three people died in the area due to flash flooding.
8 a.m.: Highway 99 closed near Lodi as flood waters persist
Highway 99 is closed in both directions at Acampo near Lodi after flood waters made driving dangerous on the road.
The area has been hit hard by rising waters over the past two days. On Sunday, emergency crews had to help evacuate 175 people from a mobile home park in Acampo, and the National Weather Service declared a flood watch for the area through 8 a.m. Tuesday.
San Joaquin County is updating a list of road closures here. Forecasters expect some rain in the area Wednesday before an extended drier stretch starting Thursday.
Monday, Jan. 16
7:30 p.m.: President Biden scheduled to view storm damage in California this week
The White House announced that President Biden plans to visit California's storm-stricken Central Coast communities this Thursday.
The federal government has already issued emergency declarations to help state and local governments respond to the storms and help those impacted.
This weekend, the Biden administration declared major disaster areas in Sacramento, Merced and Santa Cruz counties, which means federal and assistance and funding will be more quickly available to local governments and communities.
Several atmospheric rivers and major storms have slammed into California since Dec. 21. The last of these powerful weather systems is passing this week, with light rain predicted only on Wednesday, and sunshine and clearer skies in the forecast for the rest of the week.
6 a.m.: Rain is expected to continue Monday and Wednesday, but a possible break is on the way
The Sacramento region is waking up to another day of storms Monday, but there could be a change to drier weather by the end of the week, forecasters say.
Sunday marked three weeks since Sacramento has seen back-to-back dry days. In that time, the rain, wind and snow have caused huge amounts of damage in the region, including five deaths in Sacramento County and one in El Dorado. At least 20 people have died throughout the state.
Hannah Chandler-Cooley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento, said the storm that started Sunday is continuing into Monday, including snow in the Sierra. A winter storm warning remains in effect through 10 p.m.
"It does look like the heaviest snow will start tapering off by the afternoon [Monday], but those road conditions are still expected to look pretty rough even after the snow starts decreasing," she said. "We're really advising people to avoid traveling until Tuesday if they can, and if they can't, be prepared for significant travel delays, road closures and chain controls."
The valley will also get rain Monday, but not as strong as the system on Saturday, which caused winds high enough to briefly create a weak tornado in Sacramento County. Wind gusts Monday could reach 25-30 mph in Sacramento and around 30-35 mph in Stockton and Modesto.
A flood watch is in place for parts of the northern San Joaquin Valley until noon. On Sunday, emergency crews helped evacuate 175 people from a mobile home park along Highway 99 near Lodi due to rising flood waters.
"It's not out of the realm to have isolated, more intense showers, even a thunderstorm or two, but the thunderstorm chances are much less than [Saturday] or [Sunday]," Chandler-Cooley said.
Wednesday’s storm is forecast to be even weaker, with around a quarter of an inch of rain in Sacramento. After that, Chandler-Cooley said there's no rain expected through next Sunday, the end of the forecast period.
That means there may finally be an answer to the question, when will it stop raining in Sacramento?
"Thursday," said Chandler-Cooley. "Thursday it will stop raining in Sacramento. It is looking dry through the end of our forecast period which is through next weekend. We're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel."
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