As “two significant episodes” promised additional destruction and up to a foot of rain, the death toll from a barrage of powerful storms rolling across California increased to 12.
The Sacramento region, which has been hammered by strong winds and heavy rains, could receive 12 inches of rain by Wednesday night, the National Weather Service predicted.
Two of the parade of cyclones, which are more active and moist, are headed straight for California, according to the meteorological service projection. “The combined effect of subsequent heavy rainfall events will result in… fast water rises, mudslides and the possibility of significant river floods,” according to the report.
The meteorological office predicted that the central California coast may receive up to 5 inches of rain from the first episode, which began to strike the state early on Monday. Another is scheduled for delivery on Tuesday and will mainly target areas further south in Southern California.
According to AccuWeather meteorologist Joe Bauer, flooding from Northern to Central California “is predicted to be widespread, perhaps disastrous in certain regions near the coastal ranges and the northern and central Sierra.” More than a dozen monitored river areas, he claimed, are expected to exceed flood stage.
Late on Sunday, President Joe Biden declared a federal emergency, directing federal assistance to support state, tribal, and local response operations due to “emergency conditions resulting from consecutive and severe winter storms, flooding, and mudslides.”
Why might the most recent storm cause such harm?
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California reported that 12 people had died as a result of storms that had been occurring for almost two weeks. He had requested the federal emergency declaration earlier on Sunday.
California is seeing a devastating assault of winter storms, and Newsom said the state was making use of all available resources to preserve lives and lessen damage.
According to AccuWeather meteorologists, the state has been saturated to a large extent and its rivers and streams have swollen, making it vulnerable to storm damage on “severe and historic proportions.”
Ribbons of water vapor in the sky called atmospheric rivers can travel thousands of miles from the tropics to the western United States. They range in width from 250 to 375 miles, and they serve as the source of intense rain and snowstorms that can result in flooding along the West Coast.
One thunderstorm that moved into the Sacramento area on Sunday alone produced up to half an inch of rain per hour.
Sacramento County faces recovery challenges.
According to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, tens of thousands of electric customers in the state capital were still without power as of Monday, down from more than 350,000 when gusts of 60 mph toppled trees into power lines. Six campuses in Sacramento City were without electricity on Monday, therefore the schools were closed.
For a large portion of the Sacramento Valley, the northern San Joaquin Valley, and the nearby foothills, the weather service issued a flood advisory. Residents in Wilton, which is located approximately 20 miles southeast of downtown Sacramento, were instructed to leave Sunday night by the Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services. There are roughly 6,000 people living in Wilton.
“Inundation is coming. Residents are urged to leave immediately before the roads become inaccessible out of an abundance of caution “In its evacuation order, the office of emergency services stated.
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