(Trends Wide) — A respite from the rains is finally in sight in California, which has been battered by storms and where a rush of back-to-back atmospheric rivers devastated the state for weeks with flooding and mudslides.
The rains are abating in much of California, giving the state a much-needed break from relentless storms that have turned neighborhoods into lakes, paralyzed roads and forced tens of thousands of evacuations across the state.
At least 20 people have died as a result of the storms, the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom said Monday.
It’s been a “very difficult time in the state of California,” Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis told Trends Wide on Monday.
“We went from four years with very little rain to all of a sudden, in a period of three weeks, nine atmospheric rivers were compressed in such a short period of time, and this is about the equivalent of one year of rain in a rainy year, not a dry year, a wet year, all at once,” Kounalakis said.
Flood watches that covered millions on California’s central coast have expired, but scattered showers are expected Tuesday morning across Southern California, where the ground is saturated and prone to mudslides.
The storm system crossing California is moving inland and is expected to bring heavy snow to the Four Corners region. Meanwhile, a weak storm system is expected to hit northern and central California on Wednesday, but significant rain and snowfall are not expected.
The dangerous conditions that caused the storms in California have highlighted the deadly impacts of flooding in the state, with officials saying more people have been killed in the storms in recent weeks than the number of lives lost in wildfires in the past two years.
The 20 storm-related deaths recently recorded across the state include two people who ran into trees on top of their tents, people whose cars were submerged in floodwaters, and a child who died when a redwood fell on them. a house.
And rescuers are still searching for 5-year-old Kyle Doan, who was torn from his mother’s hands by floodwaters after his SUV was swept away in San Luis Obispo County on Jan. 9.
The storm will move inland after passing California
People walk on a flooded street in San Diego on January 16, 2023. (Credit: Mike Blake/Reuters)
Rain and snow will hit the Four Corners region (an area that straddles the states of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico) on Tuesday. Particularly heavy snowfall is expected in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, Wasatch, Mogollon Rim and especially in the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado, the US National Weather Service said.
Between 12 and 24 inches of new snowfall is expected in parts of southwestern Colorado by Tuesday night. Meanwhile, rain is forecast for lower elevations across much of the Southwest.
Storm system in the Southwest with another round of gusty winds, heavy mountain snow, and heavy rain and flooding across the Southwest, including overly saturated CA. A wintry mix is expected in the Upper Midwest and Northeast. pic.twitter.com/RJu8GYNTok
— National Weather Service (@NWS) January 16, 2023
“Snowfall of between 15 and 27 centimeters is expected in the plains, including the corridor [de la autopista] I-25”, said the National Weather Service in Boulder. “Higher totals are possible locally where heavier snow bands develop.”
The Weather Service warned of “difficult travel conditions” in the area from Tuesday through Wednesday.
As the storm system moves into the Four Corners region, cooler temperatures will spread.
Residents of the Great Basin and Southwest can expect mid-week high temperatures of up to 9 to 12 degrees below normal, according to the weather forecaster.
The same storm will bring severe thunderstorms and heavy rain to parts of the South on Wednesday. A low risk severe thunderstorm warning, level 2 of 5, has been issued for far eastern Texas and the lower Mississippi valley into the Tennessee and lower Ohio valleys.
The main threats are damaging winds, isolated tornadoes, and large hail for areas like Memphis and Jackson, Mississippi.
Meanwhile, a slight risk of excessive rain advisory, level 2 of 4, has also been issued for parts of lower Arkansas, lower Mississippi, lower Tennessee, and the lower and middle Ohio River valleys. The strongest storms could see rainfall rates of 25mm per hour and isolated totals greater than 100mm.
California crews will be busy for weeks trying to clean up the mess
A spell of much-needed dry weather this week will help crews across California working to reopen roads and make repairs after storms left a trail of destruction across the state.
They will tend to washed-out roads and sinkholes and clear streets blocked by boulders and mudslides that rushed down the slopes.
More than 500 landslides have been reported in California since December 30, according to the California Geological Survey. Many of these landslides occurred along the coastal mountains of central and southern California.
Multiple highways across the state remained closed as of Tuesday, according to the California Department of Transportation.
The storms left an estimated $30 million in damage across Monterey County on California’s central coast, according to a preliminary figure released by the county. The amount includes the cost of debris removal and repairs to damaged infrastructure, authorities said.
Monterey County, which has issued numerous evacuation orders in recent days due to the dangers of the storm, likely won’t be the only county facing costly repairs.
A view of a mudslide and damaged homes after flooding in Aptos, California, on Monday. (Credit: Daniel Dreifuss/Reuters)
In Ventura County, residents of remote Matilija Canyon were urged to leave their homes Sunday after more than 430mm of rain fell in a single day last week.
“Impressive piles of rocks and mud reach over 12 feet [3,6 m] high in some places, blocking access to roads and cutting residents off from the canyon,” the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday.
“It can take up to three weeks to clear a single lane access road into the community and up to six months to complete the required repairs,” the Sheriff’s Office added.
In the coastal community of Capitola, a storm washed away a historic pier.
To the south, in the Chatsworth neighborhood of Los Angeles, a sinkhole opened up, swallowing some vehicles.
President Joe Biden approved California’s request for a disaster declaration, freeing up federal aid to aid recovery efforts in areas hit by storms, flooding and mudslides since December 27.
Federal aid can include grants for temporary housing and repairs and loans to help cover property losses for uninsured homes, the White House said.
And Newsom signed an executive order Monday to further strengthen the emergency response to severe winter storms and support affected communities across the state.
— Trends Wide’s Stella Chan, Monica Garrett, Robert Shackelford and Haley Brink contributed to this report.
