‘Atmospheric River’ Drenches California, Triggering Mudslides and Flooding

A alleged “atmospheric river” has drenched drought-stricken Northern California with respective inches of rainfall and respective feet of snow.

Reports of rockslides, mudslides, and toppled trees were successful abundance connected Monday arsenic National Weather Service forecasters continued to contented flood warnings and advisories for the central and northern parts of the state.

Flooding was reported crossed the San Francisco Bay Area and overflowed rivers crossed Napa and Sonoma counties. The National Weather Service said that astir 4 inches of rainfall fell successful San Francisco.

The California Highway Patrol, meanwhile, unopen down portion of State Route 70 successful Butte and Plumas counties astir 150 miles north-northwest of the Bay Area owed to immense landslides adjacent wherever the Dixie Fire had raged.

“We person already had respective collisions this greeting for vehicles hydroplaning, galore trees falling, and respective roadways that are experiencing flooding,” the road patrol’s bureau successful Oroville wrote successful a Twitter statement. “If you tin enactment location and disconnected the roads today, delight do. If you are retired connected the roads, delight usage utmost caution.”

A stormy and bedewed play is up for ample areas of the state implicit the adjacent 5 days arsenic aggregate atmospheric rivers interaction the West Coast, and portions of the cardinal and eastbound U.S. hole for processing areas of debased unit and resulting swaths of dense rain. pic.twitter.com/Z28uTEE7gE

— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) October 23, 2021

About 150 miles to the north, the California road patrol closed a agelong of State Route 70 successful Butte and Plumas counties due to the fact that of aggregate landslides wrong the monolithic Dixie occurrence pain scar. Areas that person been precocious impacted by wildfires are mostly susceptible to mudslides and rockslides due to the fact that onshore devoid of trees and plants cannot soak up excess moisture.

“If you are successful the vicinity of a caller pain scar and haven’t already, hole present for apt debris flows,” the Sacramento National Weather Service’s bureau said connected Twitter. “If you are told to evacuate by section officials, oregon you consciousness threatened, bash not hesitate to bash so. If it is excessively precocious to evacuate, get to higher ground.”

And arsenic of Sunday, Sacramento received much than 4 inches of rain, which topped its regular record. Some 6 inches of rainfall fell successful Santa Rosa, located northbound of the Bay Area, according to officials, who issued warnings astir flash flooding.

Across each months/days for a 24-hour period, this time volition already instrumentality 9th each time. There’s decidedly a accidental to get up to 7th. Tougher to get supra that, and fig 1 seems precise unlikely. pic.twitter.com/A4soFMW3Ba

— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) October 25, 2021

In the Sierra Nevada mountains, winter tempest warnings are inactive successful effect, the National Weather Service said.

“A beardown wintertime tempest volition interaction the bluish Sierra into tonight,” referring to Monday night, the bureau wrote. “Snow levels person lowered beneath walk levels with dense snowfall occurring done the passes. The snowfall level volition little to astir 5,000 to 6,000 feet this morning.”

Some areas are slated to person 1 to 2 feet of snow, with up to 3 feet successful isolated spots, according to upwind officials.