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Rain-soaked Californians are getting another round of storms over the weekend that threaten more flooding, mudslides, sleet and heavy mountain snow.
The stormy weather comes as recovery efforts continue in the state, which has been hit by atmospheric storms on rivers since late December, leaving at least 19 people dead.
A 5-year-old boy was also missing on Saturday after being swept out of his mother’s car by floodwaters earlier in the week. Local authorities temporarily suspended the search for the boy, Kyle Doan, on Saturday afternoon due to “inappropriate” weather, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook.
Forecasts show that rain will hit rural areas in Northern California with particular force this weekend. Previous storms have soaked and damaged the densely populated San Francisco Bay Area and surrounding coastal communities.
“Each round of rain falling on saturated, unstable ground will increase the risk of new landslides and debris flows,” said Reneé Duff, a meteorologist at AccuWeather.
Flooding in Napa, landslide reported near Dublin, California
There were already reports of significant flooding Saturday in parts of Napa County, the heart of Northern California’s wine country, according to the county sheriff’s office. Flood warnings were issued for the north of San Francisco Bay, including Napa, Marin, Sonoma and Mendocino counties. A landslide caused road closures near Dublin, California., according to the California Highway Patrol.
Atmospheric rivers, sometimes called “rivers in the sky,” form when a line of warm, moist air, usually coming from nearby islands in the Pacific Ocean to the West Coast, falls as heavy rain as it hits cooler air over the Earth.
Another atmospheric river is expected to hit the state on Monday.
“I know how tired you all are,” Governor Gavin Newsom said on Friday, urging caution ahead of oncoming storms. “Just keep a little more watch over the next weekend.”
Storm forecast for the weekend in California
The storm is expected to peak on Saturday as it moves inland throughout the day, according to the National Weather Service.
- More flood risk: With the ground already saturated from previous rains, more flooding and possible landslides are expected across the state through Monday, according to the weather service’s forecast.
- heavy snow: Heavy snowfall in the 3- to 6-foot mountains and high winds are predicted to create bleaching conditions in the mountains of northern and central California, making travel nearly impossible. The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab said Saturday morning that it received 21.3 inches of snow in 24 hours and that its snowpack of about 10 feet is expected to grow by several feet by Monday.
- Strong winds: Wind warnings are also in effect Saturday for the California coast and Central Valley, with sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph and gusts of 50 mph.
- Power outages: Stormy weather could cause more trees to fall and more power outages on Saturday, said David Lawrence, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. More than 40,000 homes in the state were still without power as of Saturday morning, according to poweroutage.us.
“People will get complacent, but the ground is saturated. It’s extremely, extremely dangerous,” Nancy Ward, director of the governor’s office of emergency services, told a news conference on Friday. “And that water can continue to rise well after the storms pass.”
California damage assessment expected to exceed $1 billion
Authorities have already begun assessing the damage, which is expected to exceed $1 billion.
As heavy rains, mudslides and hurricane-force winds battered the state, California saw homes flooded, roofs ripped off, levees breached, cars submerged and trees uprooted.
About 14 million gallons of sewage leaked into the Ventura River in southern California as a result of the storms, according to Ventura County health officials. Two sewer lines also leaked in San Antonio Creek this week due to storm damage.
MORE:California storms are hitting schools hard. How is the flood affecting the students?
California, long plagued by drought, has recorded a total of more than nine inches of rain on average statewide over the past 18 days. Some parts of the state have already reached their average annual rainfall, Lawrence said.
President Joe Biden on Monday issued an emergency declaration to support storm response in more than a dozen counties. But Newsom said he is still waiting for Biden to declare a major disaster declaration that would provide more resources.
Recovery continues after tornadoes hit Alabama, Georgia
As bad weather continues to harass California, the South is reeling from a series of deadly tornadoes.
Recovery efforts continued over the weekend after several tornadoes struck south, killing at least nine people in Alabama and Georgia.
Residents rescued belongings on Friday and rescue workers searched through the rubble for survivors, sometimes digging through collapsed houses to free trapped residents.
The massive storm system on Thursday overturned mobile homes, uprooted trees, flattened buildings, snapped power lines and derailed a freight train.
SEE MORE INFORMATION:Civil rights legacy puts ‘eyes of the world’ on tornado damage in Selma, Alabama
Tornado damage was reported in at least 14 counties in Alabama and 14 in Georgia, according to the National Weather Service. At least 35 possible tornado landings have been reported in the southeast, Federal Emergency Management Agency officials said.
Meteorologists say it could take days to fully understand the storm’s strength.
Among those killed in the storm was a Georgia Department of Transportation employee and a 5-year-old child who was in a vehicle hit by a downed tree in Georgia, officials said.
The child was identified as Egan Jeffcoat by his grandmother, ABC News reported. Her mother, Tabatha Anglin, was not injured, her grandmother said, but another adult in the car was seriously injured, Butts County officials said earlier.
A fundraiser for Egan’s mother raised nearly $20,000 on Saturday. His mother picked him up early from school so they could drive home before the storm, but a tree fell on the car, killing Egan, according to the fundraiser, which was verified by GoFundMe.
“His mother was a single mother and Egan was her world,” reads the fundraiser.
Go Deeper: More Flood Coverage
Contributors: Marty Roney, Montgomery Advertiser; The Associated Press
Contact Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern.
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