San Francisco – another important atmospheric river The weekend’s events drenched California, flooding homes and roads, forcing evacuations and claiming at least one life so far.

A car was found dead near Elk Grove after it appeared to have been swept away by flood waters along Dillard Road, officials with the Cosmnes Fire Department said. told FOX 40 SacramentoThe victim was reported missing and was found dead in his submerged vehicle around 10:30 am on Sunday.

A levee breach in the Konsumnes River flooded the settlement.

Along the coast of Santa Cruz, a 72-year-old man was found dead after a large tree fell at Lighthouse Field State Beach, according to Santa Cruz police.

In a statement to FOX Weather, California State Parks Public Safety Superintendent Gabe McKenna said the tree was uprooted at its base due to “saturated soil and strong winds during the storm.” .

Around the time the tree was knocked down, the wind was raging up to about 38 mph in heavy rain.

In Sacramento County, a man was rescued from being pushed against a tree by floodwaters. He was airlifted to safety and taken to a nearby hospital, but their condition was not reported.

Heavy rain was reported in the San Francisco and Sacramento areas on Saturday. A rain gauge in downtown San Francisco marked the second wettest day on record after recording 5.46 inches.

How to watch FOX WEATHER

At least 250,000 Californians lost power during the peak of the storm. According to PowerOutage.usOutages had dwindled to about 130,000 by mid-afternoon on Sunday.

San Francisco Fire Department Four homes reportedly damaged by landslides, but no one was injured. Several flooded roads required water relief. Some communities have set up sandbag sites for residents to take action against swollen streams and creeks.

Another landslide damaged homes in El Granada, according to CalFire.

Elsewhere in San Francisco, floodwaters rose knee-high and people using surfboards To get around a flooded neighborhood.

Just south of San Francisco, floodwaters blanketed U.S. Highway 101 for several hours on Saturday, forcing the closure of a major Bay Area highway and sending traffic to diversions. According to FOX 2 Bay Area.

In the coastal town of Half Moon Bay, crews had to rescue residents whose homes were flooded along two streets, according to CalFire.

Flash Flood Hits Sacramento Valley

Conditions were not good away from the coast as heavy rains and destructive winds blew through California’s inland valleys.

Several roads in the area were closed due to increased flooding, including multiple sections of Highway 99 in Stockton and Modesto.

After the embankment showed signs of imminent collapse, emergency officials ordered the town of Wilton evacuated, urging residents to evacuate before the water covered the evacuation routes.

The Point Pleasant, Granville Tract, and Franklin Pond neighborhoods in Sacramento County have also been ordered to evacuate due to growing concerns about flash flooding. Officials have also urged residents to evacuate the area immediately to combat both rising water levels and impending darkness. spot.

A shelter for displaced people has been set up in Elk Grove.

More than 100,000 people lost power in the Sacramento area alone, and gusts of wind blew 61 to 64 mph across the city.

Total rainfall through Sunday reached 2 to 5 inches across the Bay Area, with isolated totals even higher, but about 2 to 4 inches across the Sacramento Valley.

More heavy rain fell in the Sierra foothills, with some rain gauges reporting 5 to 8 inches of rain, causing several rock slides and landslides along mountain roads.

Southern California, which is immersed in atmospheric rivers…

Steady rains spread south into Southern California on Sunday morning as the Los Angeles and San Diego metropolitan areas see the start of rain in 2023, with breaks in areas further north.

What are “Category 5” atmospheric rivers?The scale aims to rate nature’s greatest flooding

The Orange County Fire Department used a boat to rescue one man sitting on top of a car on New Year’s Eve and four adults still sitting in the partially submerged car. Flooding quickly drove him over two vehicles on an off-ramp in Tustin, California.

even in dry areas ArizonaIn areas such as Phoenix and Tucson, storms bring about 0.5 to 1 inch of rain, but precipitation can freeze at higher elevations.

Storm drives snow along Sierra Nevada Pass

People in the lowlands had to deal with water-covered roads, while in the mountains, freezing precipitation was a headache.

Snow totals ranged from 20 to 45 inches over 5,000 feet and continued into Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

The California Department of Transportation and the California Highway Patrol had to pull dozens of cars out of the snow on New Year’s Eve.

This is just one of those cars that lost control and slid off the road into the powder.

Due to heavy snow, Interstate 80 was closed over Donner Pass for most of Saturday and reopened early Sunday morning.

The Central Sierra Snow Lab in Soda Springs, Calif. reported a staggering 7.5 inches of snow in just one hour Saturday evening.

Another atmospheric river or two coming to California this week

As we said earlier this week, there’s no day off for the boredom folks in California this week. The FOX Forecast Center said northern and central California were a little clearer after the storm passed on Sunday, but two more powerful storms are headed for California later this week.

A stronger and more severe storm system is expected to hit land on Wednesday and continue through Friday.

This storm system, combined with powerful atmospheric rivers, could have a significant impact on parts of California.

Flooding potential will only increase across the Golden State as the ground becomes even more saturated thanks to last weekend’s rains.

An additional 3-5 inches of rain is expected, adding another 1-2 feet of snow to the mountains.

As it rains, the chances of landslides, landslides and rock slides increase. Avalanche risk will continue to increase.

Long-range forecasts have yet another storm system set to slam into the west this weekend.

Will Atmospheric Rivers Affect California’s Drought?

Projecting several inches of rain on top of what’s already coming this winter is certainly a boon in a region plagued by years of drought. Helpful, but the area still has a long way to go.

“At this point, we still have four to five months into the snow season and the typical wet season,” said Andrew Schwartz, principal scientist at the Central Sierra Snow Lab. That means we’re scoring a touchdown in. At this point, we’re still three quarters away and a lot can happen.”

Scientists Say Extra Winter Precipitation Was Needed to Overcome California’s Drought

Schwartz said last year’s winter season got off to a good start with record-breaking mountain snowfall in December. “But from January he didn’t get any rain through March, and we didn’t get as much rain as we wanted in that period.”

But even average snowfall is not enough to keep the region out of drought.

“Right now, realistically, we need a day’s worth of winter rain,” Schwartz said. “So it’s not going to happen in a year. We’d probably be at least three or four times above average before we really talk about coming out of the drought.”

During the average season, the lab sees 30 feet of snow. An extra season’s worth of snow means 60 feet in a year. It’s a very “high job to take on,” he said.