By CapRadio Staff
Update, March 10, 4:30 p.m.:
Though it’s largely been sunny in Sacramento on Friday, heavy rain, snow and strong wind arrived in Northern California on Thursday night and is expected to ramp back up again this weekend.
A winter storm warning is in effect for the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range through Tuesday morning, and officials are warning against travel due to “road closures, chain control, roadway flooding, and extended delays.”
And a flood watch is still in effect for the majority of Northern California through Sunday morning. Forecasters with the National Weather Service are warning of the possibility of “flooding caused by excessive rainfall and snow melt.”
There’s been so much rain and snowfall this winter that Lake Oroville has risen 180 feet since Dec. 1. The reservoir had reached 840 feet on Friday — roughly 60 feet below its maximum capacity — prompting state water officials to open the dam’s main spillway for the first time since 2019.
President Joe Biden on Friday approved a Presidential Disaster Declaration, requested by Governor Gavin Newsom Thursday night as the atmospheric river made its way into the state. The order will allow counties affected by storms to access more federal assistance, including for resources like “generators, road clearance equipment and potential sheltering and mass care assistance,” Newsom’s office wrote in a release.
California’s Office of Emergency Services is pre-positioning employees — and equipment, like snow plows and fire engines — across the state in anticipation of the storm’s impacts. OES has also opened shelters for residents of Stanislaus, Nevada and other counties impacted by snow and flooding.
Other state organizations are participating in storm response efforts, too: Nearly 4,000 Caltrans employees are working to clear snow off of roadways and crews with the California National Guard are pre-positioning equipment in areas susceptible to flooding.
Original story, March 9:
A warm atmospheric river is set to pummel Northern California through the weekend, and forecasters are warning of the potential for flooding in lower-elevation areas — like the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys — after weeks of heavy rain and snow.
The flood threat will come from the combination of rain and melting of parts of the huge snowpack that built up in California's mountains by nine atmospheric rivers early in the winter and more recent storms, fueled by a blast of arctic air.
On Wednesday night, Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded a weather-related emergency order declared last week to include 21 new counties. The order now covers much of the state — including Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado and Stanislaus counties — and will allow support for disaster relief by making state agencies and aid available and asking for federal help in clearing and repairing highways.
Flooding possible in the valleys
The storm is set to roll into Northern California on Thursday afternoon and will bring rain to valley and foothill areas through Tuesday, according to Bill Rasch, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Sacramento. Rain is expected to be heaviest Thursday night through Friday morning, he said.
“[We’ll see] a really good chunk of rain in the foothills, thus all that water will be running down into the rivers, and that’s really what we think the big main impact is going to be from this,” he said. “Mainly flooding of small creeks, streams and rivers due to the rain and snowmelt below 4,000 feet.”
Though some flooding in valley and foothill areas is likely, UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said it won’t be severe.
“There are a number of rivers in Northern California that will likely be near or above flood stage by Sunday,” he said during a Wednesday briefing. “Right now, I’m not seeing any indication of major river flooding on any of these rivers, which I think is in contrast with some of the headlines right now.”
Sacramento County issued a local state of emergency on Thursday, noting the storm could bring “significant transportation impacts, rising creek and river levels, downed trees, damage to infrastructure and localized flooding.”
The Bureau of Reclamation began increasing water releases from the Folsom Dam on Thursday to make room for incoming rainfall. And Yolo County announced on Saturday it will close County Road 22 in Woodland, which runs across the bypass, in anticipation of waterflow through the Fremont Weir.
Strong winds also expected
Valley areas are also forecast to see strong, gusty winds develop between Thursday and Friday afternoon, according to the weather service.
All Sacramento Regional Parks are closed Thursday through at least noon on Friday, “due to anticipated wind gusts of up to 50 mph,” county officials said in a release. “With soil still saturated from prior storms, these high gusts have the potential to bring down a large number of trees.”
PG&E officials announced the utility has pre-positioned crews and opened its Emergency Operations Center to respond to potential impacts from “trees, limbs and other debris falling into power lines, damaging equipment and interrupting electric service” as a result of the storm.
Accumulating snow remains a concern in the Sierra
For higher elevations, heavy snowfall is expected to make its return.
The weather service issued a winter storm warning for the western slope of the Sierra between Thursday and Sunday morning, noting that snow and wind could create “difficult to impossible” travel conditions. More snow is expected for mountain regions on Monday and Tuesday.
So much snow has recently fallen in the Sierra and other mountain ranges that residents are still struggling to dig out days after earlier storms. Roofs collapsed, cars were buried and roads were blocked.
“It all blurs together, to be frank, it's like one long, unending trial of trying to get it all done,” said Susie Kocher, a Meyers resident and Forestry Advisor for the University of California. “If you have a lot of snow on your roof, the rain can permeate that, and then freeze overnight … So that's really going to add to the weight of the roof. People are getting ready, even more so because we're more worried about the rain coming than the snow.”
The city of South Lake Tahoe issued a local emergency proclamation on Wednesday, citing the potential for “widespread local flooding and further property damage” after weeks of heavy snowfall.
And the North Tahoe Fire Protection District reported on Tuesday it had seen an “alarming increase” in carbon monoxide related-emergencies, as the result of snow build-up on home ventilation systems.
“Gas leaks are also on the rise due to deeply buried propane tanks, above ground propane plumbing, and buried natural gas meters impacted by the snow,” agency officials wrote in a prepared release. “The repetitive freeze-and-thaw cycles following winter storms combined with the weight of the snowpack places glacial-like torsional stress on tanks and propane plumbing systems, causing dangerous leaks.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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