15 million people are under cold weather alert as record-breaking storms flood eastern California | CNN

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More than 15 million people from California to Wisconsin were under winter weather alerts Sunday. As the Pacific storm system, which caused record rainfall and severe flooding, moved eastward,

Some residents of Northern California are still grappling with epic flooding and power outages. After the storm system led to highway closures and water rescue on Saturday.

Oakland had its wettest day on record on Saturday, with 4.75 inches of rain in a 24-hour period, breaking the previous record set on January 4, 1982 by the National Weather Service in San Francisco. go said

Severe weather caused by a powerful atmospheric river – A long, narrow region in the atmosphere that can carry moisture for thousands of miles, such as a fire hose in the sky.

Now, as that same storm system heads east, It can dump about a foot of snow across the Sierras. and up to 2 feet of snow in parts of the Rockies late Monday. Local forecasters warn the journey could be difficult.

Bad weather, including high winds, left about 235,000 homes, businesses and other electric customers without power in California and Nevada on Sunday. Poweroutage.US.

The storm also forced some Northern Californians to leave their homes on New Year’s Eve. because the road began to flood And evacuation orders and warnings were issued.

In addition to the flooding in the city Several rivers began to overflow, including the Cosumnes and Mokelumne and Mormon Slough rivers, according to the National Weather Service. Sacramento.

Despite the headaches of flooding, humidity is actually helping to alleviate California’s drought. which also started in 2022 The driest beginning of the year on record And end the year with wet roads and thick snow on the mountains.

But it’s not clear how much damage the storm will do to California’s arid conditions.

Authorities ordered residents of Wilton — about 20 miles from Sacramento — to Immediately left the area at one point on Saturday. It warned that rising waters could seep onto roads and cut off access from the area. about two hours later The Wilton residents were ordered to take refuge after water flooded the road. “Unable to travel”

Three communities near Watsonville were ordered to evacuate by Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office due to flooding in the creek while the water level in the San River The Rising Lorenzo This led to evacuations in the Paradise Park and Felton communities.

In San Ramon, police used armored rescue vehicles to evacuate residents from the flood waters.

“The impact of the floods continues to intensify. Because the rain continues to fall continuously There are too many road closures to count at this point,” NWS said Saturday. The Meteorological Department told residents to stay amid reports of rock slides and mudslides in the foothills. and road closures on routes through the Sierras.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District crews performed water rescue and responded to a driver whose vehicle was disabled after they drove through stagnant water on Saturday. the official said

Call it “Stormagedon.” Amador County Sheriff’s Office Share photos of drowning cars until they cover the door handles.

Highway 50 reopens after midnight Hours after the section between Pollock Pines and Meyers was closed due to flooding from the American River, another section was closed over Echo Summit for avalanche control work.

Interstate 80 was also partially closed near the Nevada line on Saturday. “Due to multiple spins over Donner Summit,” the California Department of Transportation said.

Late Sunday morning I-80 in the Sierra-Nevada Mountains. It has reopened for passenger cars only. “With R2 Chain Restriction” California Highway Patrol in Truckee Tweet. Limitation means chain or drag device Required for all 4WD vehicles with all four snow tires.

“The roads are very slippery, so let’s work together and slow down so we can keep I-80 open,” the agency said.

US Highway 101 – one of California’s most famous stretches – is temporarily closed on both routes in South San Francisco. The California Highway Patrol reported that “The water does not decrease due to non-stop rain and the high tide prevents the water from flowing.”

In the Sacramento County area, residents have been advised to avoid travel due to wind gusts of up to 55 mph. Fallen trees and roads covered in debris, according to a tweet from the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

The county declared a state of emergency. by saying that rivers in the atmosphere have caused “The impact on transportation is huge. Rising stream and river levels and flooding” in the Wilton area.

Downtown San Francisco rose 5.46 inches Saturday. This made it the second wettest day in the area according to statistics. National Weather Service in the Bay Area.

This heavy rainfall is expected to move south into Southern California on Sunday. with wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph.

While parts of northern California experienced heavy rainfall. The mountainous area was covered with snow.

The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab reported snowfall of 7.5 inches per hour between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday in Soda Springs. about 30 miles from Lake Tahoe and shared a video of Thick snow covered the area..

The lab said unofficial snowfall measurements were greater than 30 inches Saturday.

More than a foot of new snow fell at Mammoth Mountain’s Main Lodge on Saturday, the ski resort said. FacebookHe added that the event would take place across the mountain. Because all the lifts are covered with ice and “the avalanche danger is very high”.