An intense storm continues to tear through drought-stricken California, bringing an onslaught of rain, floods, mudslides and power outages to areas all throughout the state.
The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for a large portion of Central California as a result. According to forecasts, most of the precipitation is expected to fall by Tuesday night. In six hours Monday, 1.5″ fell in Visalia and Tulare.
“Two of the more energetic and moisture-laden parade of cyclones … are aiming directly for California,” the weather service forecast said. “The cumulative effect of successive heavy rainfall events will lead to … rapid water rises, mudslides and the potential for major river flooding.”
The series of winter storms are caused by an atmospheric river that is impacting the whole state and other portions of the west.
The entire community of Montecito, near Santa Barbara, is under an immediate evacuation order. Montecito Fire Department is asking residents of Toro Canyon, Padaro Lane, and Sycamore Canyon to “leave now.”
The evacuation order comes five years after the deadly Montecito Mudslide, which took the lives of 23 people.
Bass Lake RC Resort is also under an evacuation warning due to flooding. “There is an immediate threat to life,” the evacuation order reads. “The area is being closed to public access. Take action immediately.”
To find an open Red Cross shelter, click here. To find an open warming center, click here.
Caltrans reported numerous closed roadways Monday and Tuesday will likely bring more of the same. On lit billboards up and down major highways the message was clear, “Avoid travel.” The following roads are currently closed in Tulare County:
- North Fork from the North Fork Bridge to approximately mile marker 2.5
- Dry Creek/State Route 216 to Stage Coach Drive
- Lower Globe south of Highway 190
- A196 between Road 232 and Road 236
- Conley Bridge on South Fork Drive
Sand and bags are available for Visalia residents at the self-serve sand station on Cain Street, between Goshen Avenue and Main Street. The sand station will stay open 24-hours a day during the storm. Residents need to bring their own shovel. There is a limit of eight sandbags per home.
“The roads are very slippery and you need to give yourself extra time to get to your destination,” a post from the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department Facebook page states. “If you can, please avoid areas that are receiving a lot of snow.”
There is a moderate risk of excessive rainfall below the snowline in the Sierra Nevada Foothills and in the northwest portion of the San Joaquin Valley — like Mammoth Lakes and Lodgepole — according to forecasts.
Mammoth Mountain, an Eastern Sierra ski resort, already has received nearly 10 feet of snow, according to the National Weather Service. The state’s drought monitor hasn’t been updated since Jan. 3. While the series of storms is sure to help, snowfall will play a bigger part.
Tulare County and big portions of the Valley remain in an “extreme drought,” while the foothills remain in a “severe drought.”
Here are some of the projected rainfall amounts from The National Weather Service for areas throughout Central California for Monday morning through Tuesday night:
- Visalia/Tulare: 1.5-2 inches
- Fresno: 2-3 inches
- Three Rivers: 3-4 inches
- Merced: 2-3 inches
- Mariposa: 4-6 inches
- Lodgepole: 8-10 inches
- Bakersfield: 0.5-1 inches
- Mammoth Lakes: 6-8 inches
President Joe Biden declared a federal emergency Sunday to aid California, which is in the thick of what National Weather Service meteorologists have called a “conveyer belt” of storms.
Gov. Gavin Newsom warned that this week’s storms could be even more dangerous and urged people to stay home and limit nonessential travel. He said 12 people died as a result of violent weather during the past 10 days.
The first storm hit New Year’s Eve, the next began Friday and lasted through the weekend, and another lashed coastal areas Sunday night through Monday. Several more are on the way.
A dried pattern doesn’t seem likely until Jan. 20 at least, said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles in a news conference Monday.
This story may be updated to reflect the most up-to-date information.
USA Today and AP contributed to this report.
