Calmness ensues following the havoc caused by floods, strong winds, and massive waves in Northern California.
In the past few days, Northern California has been hit by a powerful winter storm, bringing high surf, flooding, and power outages to the region.
The National Climate Service has issued a high surf advisory for the section of shore north of Monterey Bay, with waves up to 22 feet expected along the coast. Dangerous sea conditions have been warned, and the Santa Cruz Jetty has already been damaged by waves up to 20 feet high.
The storm has caused flooding in Santa Cruz, California, with the city seeing some of the worst of it. Homes and businesses along the shore have been flooded, and one tree fell and tragically killed a young child.
The Sacramento River is expected to see some flooding stages exceeded in upcoming storms, and the Hopland location of the Russian River had exceeded flood stage since Thursday morning. The Cosumnes River, which had levee breaks, might see flood stage again following the week.
However, there are no specific forecasts indicating additional storms or flooding expected in Northern California through the weekend and into next week. The latest hurricane activity is focused in the Atlantic with Hurricane Erin and tropical disturbances far from Northern California.
The storm has also caused power outages and fallen trees, with approximately 1,800 PG&E employees working to restore power on Thursday. Repairs might take more than 24 hours.
The weather in California is extremely hot and unstable, increasing wildfire risk rather than storm or flood threats. No mentions of significant rainfall, storms, or flood potential appeared in any relevant local weather notices from the past few days.
If you are seeking official updates or detailed local forecasts, I recommend consulting the National Weather Service or local meteorological agencies for Northern California, as they provide the most accurate and timely information on storm or flood warnings.
At least 2 individuals, including a child, have been killed in the storm, with a 19-year-old woman dying when she hit a utility pole in heavy rainfall in Solano County on Wednesday morning, and a 2-year-old boy being killed when a tree fell on his home in Occidental on Wednesday evening.
Emma Simpkins, a staff member at the Barbecue Basket near the Santa Cruz Jetty, has never seen waves as huge as the ones that battered the coast on Thursday. A 101-mph gust was reported along Pablo Factor in the Marin County mountains, and winds in other locations reached 90 mph.
In downtown San Francisco, the storm resulted in the wettest 10-day period since 1871. Between Dec. 26 and Wednesday, 3 storms dumped 10.33 inches of rain in the downtown area.
Emptying warnings were lifted by Thursday night for some locations in the watershed areas of Uvas Tank and Pacheco Pass River Basin. The river in Guerneville is anticipated to reach its peak in the morning at 26.2 feet, below the flooding stage level of 32 feet.
Despite the challenges, the resilience of the Northern California community shines through, with people coming together to help each other in these difficult times.
- The high surf advisory issued by the National Climate Service for the northern coast of California involves environmental-science aspects, as the anticipated waves up to 22 feet could potentially impact businesses along the shore.
- While the weather in California is currently hot and unstable, increasing wildfire risk, it is worth noting that general-news outlets have reported tragic events related to the recent winter storm, such as the death of a child due to a fallen tree.
