A huge Pacific storm that parked itself over Southern California and unloaded, ravaging roads, opening sinkholes and leading to the deaths of at least three people has eased off. But it was only a temporary reprieve as new storms took aim farther north.
The National Weather Service yesterday predicted drying weather through today followed by the return of wet weather in the region. But while flash-flood watches for Southern California were cancelled, Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area were facing a weekend return of heavy rain and winds that lashed them earlier in the week before the storm moves out.
"Stronger southerly winds and widespread flooding will be likely as an atmospheric river (of moisture) takes aim somewhere along the central California Coast," a weather statement warned.
The approaching rain could cause more problems in the far north, where damage to spillways of the Lake Oroville dam forced the evacuation of 188,000 people last weekend. As of yesterday, the lake's water elevation had fallen more than 45 feet.
Meanwhile, authorities up and down the state were dealing with the fallout, including overflowing creeks, mudslide threats in foothill areas denuded by previous fires, road collapses and hundreds of toppled trees in neighbourhoods.
Northwest of Sacramento, nearly 200 people were evacuated yesterday as overflowing creeks turned the town of Maxwell into a brown pond, with some homes getting 2 feet of water.
Fire Chief Kenny Cohen said nearly 100 homes and the elementary school filled with a couple inches of water before the water began receding. The area received about 3 inches of rain as of last morning.
No injuries were reported.
Cheri Azevedo said her garage had 2 feet of water, but her home had been spared yesterday. Others on her block and nearby were not as lucky, as all of them were evacuated.
"It is heartbreaking," she told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Southern California appeared to dodge any major disasters, but in the desert town of Victorville, several cars were washed down a flooded street, and one man was found dead in a submerged vehicle after others were rescued, San Bernardino County fire spokesman Eric Sherwin said.
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