Storm inundates Northern California with rain, heavy snow. Thousands remain in the dark in Seattle
CTV
Heavy downpours fell over much of Northern California on Friday, causing small landslides, overflowing a river and flooding some streets, including in parts of San Francisco. Meanwhile tens of thousands of people were still without power in the Seattle area after several days in the dark.
Heavy downpours fell over much of Northern California on Friday, causing small landslides, overflowing a river and flooding some streets, including in parts of San Francisco. Meanwhile tens of thousands of people were still without power in the Seattle area after several days in the dark.
The storm arrived in the Pacific Northwest earlier this week, killing two people and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands, mostly in the Seattle area, before moving through Northern California, where several roads were closed due to flooding and strong winds toppled trees.
Forecasters warned about the risk of flash flooding and rockslides in areas north of San Francisco from this season's strongest atmospheric river -- a long plume of moisture that forms over an ocean and flows through the sky over land.
On the East Coast, another storm brought much-needed rain to New York and New Jersey, where rare wildfires have raged in recent weeks. The rain eased the fire danger for the rest of the year was a boost for ski resorts preparing to open in the weeks ahead. Parts of West Virginia were under a blizzard warning through Saturday morning, with up to two feet (61 centimetres) of snow and high winds making travel treacherous.
In California's Humboldt County, the sheriff's office downgraded evacuation orders to warnings for people near the Eel River after forecasters said the waterway would see moderate but not major flooding. Officials urged residents to prepare for storm impacts throughout the week.
Flooding closed scenic Highway 1, also known as the Pacific Coast Highway, in neighbouring Mendocino County north of Point Arena near the Garcia River, and there was no estimate for when it would reopen, according to the California Department of Transportation.
Santa Rosa saw its wettest three-day period on record with about 32 centimetres of rain, according to the National Weather Service in the Bay Area.
