Heavy rainfall and flooding continued to impact California on Tuesday morning, as the state was hit by its eleventh atmospheric river since late December.
The National Weather Service said that more dangerous flooding was expected for central and southern California, urging residents to “be prepared to act quickly.”
Rainfall and wind rates would continue to increase for the Bay Area and central coast, and the Los Angeles office for the agency warned of a high risk of excessive rainfall from Ventura County northward on Tuesday.
Forecasters warned of damaging wind and potential power outages from the storm. Outage tracker PowerOutage.US showed just more than 5,000 outages in the state.
CALIFORNIA FLOODING PROBLEMS GROW AS NEW STORM REACHES THE STATE
Gabriel Gonzalez, of San Rafael, walks up a hillside as storm clouds approach from the west in Walnut Creek, Calif., on March 13, 2023. ((Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP))
An evacuation order would take effect for some areas associated with wildfire burn scars in Santa Barbara County at 8 a.m. PT on Tuesday.
Siskiyou County – in the northernmost part of the state – also issued an evacuation warning for areas near the McKinney Fire burn scar, and the county’s office of emergency services tweeted late Monday that there was a high probability debris flows and flooding exist.
This comes after more than 8,500 people were forced to evacuate last week after a levee break in Monterey. About 50 people had to be rescued while some residents stayed behind.
Floodwaters surround homes and vehicles in the community of Pajaro in Monterey County, Calif., on Monday, March 13, 2023. ((AP Photo/Noah Berger))
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As of Monday, miles of the coastal Highway 1 were closed between Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. Monterey officials also warned that the Salinas River could lead to significant flooding of roads and agricultural land. Undersheriff Keith Boyd said 20 to 40 people remained trapped Monday near the river because the roads were impassible for rescuers.
Floodwaters from the Salinas River fill agricultural fields in Spreckels, Calif., Monday, March 13, 2023. ((Nic Coury/San Francisco Chronicle via AP))
Officials said Monday that a second breach opened up another 100 feet of the Pajaro levee closer to the coast, providing a “relief valve” for floodwaters.
The California Department of Water Resources has continued to release water from the Oroville Dam for flood control protection to downstream communities.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom heads to a press conference in Half Moon Bay, Calif., on Jan. 24, 2023. (Dai Sugano/MediaNews Group/East Bay Times via Getty Images)
Authorities had not received reports of any deaths or missing persons related to the storm as of Monday afternoon.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in six additional counties over the weekend.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
