California: One storm system leaves, but another arrives

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Wet and miserable weather continued across large swathes of California on Sunday as the weather pattern that caused major flooding moved east, though a new storm threatened to bring more rain, snow and gusty winds to the region starting Monday.

The National Weather Service said the upcoming event could worsen severe flooding that has plagued the area in recent days, including a levee breach that prompted mass evacuations Saturday in farming communities near the central coast of the United States. ‘State.

The next weather event does not appear to be as strong as the previous one, but experts are still warning that “significant flooding” could occur in low-lying areas, either from rain or from flooded rivers and streams. melt of ice.

“They definitely need to be prepared for more flooding. The ground is very saturated. We are already seeing some impact from the rains today,” said Eleanor Dhuyvetter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

A tornado briefly hit Tuolumne County during severe thunderstorms Saturday that also dumped about one inch of hail, the Sacramento Weather Services office said. Forecasters warned of the possibility of more tornadoes by Sunday afternoon.

Rain and snowfall are expected to extend Monday from central California to Oregon and northern Nevada. Wind gusts of up to 80 km/h (50 mph) are expected in some places and could damage power lines and break tree branches.

But the new storm is moving fast, which means it won’t have time to dump as much rain.

More than 20 inches (50 centimeters) of snow has fallen at a Sierra Nevada weather station in the past two days, and more is expected. The amount of snow is now about double the average and the highest in about four decades, according to experts at the UC Berkeley-Central Sierra Snow Lab.

The snowpack stores much-needed water as a state struggles to emerge from a three-year drought. Up to a foot (30 centimeters) of rain fell in the Big Sur region of the state over a two-day period, according to weather data.

Officials suggest residents have a plan in case further evacuation orders are issued.

In Monterey County, more than 8,500 people received evacuation orders Saturday, including 1,700 residents — many of whom are Hispanic farmworkers — from the community of Pajaro.

The atmospheric phenomenon brings subtropical humidity from Hawaii and the central Pacific, causing snowmelt in the mountains of California.

Due to intense flooding, more than 50 people had to be rescued by rescue teams and the California National Guard. Video shows members of the Guard helping the driver out of a car as water reached their waists.

The extent of the damage was unknown, but Luis Alejo, director of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, appealed to state and federal governments for help.

“The needs will be many! It will take months for our residents to repair their homes! “, wrote Alejo on Twitter on Saturday. ___ Dazio reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writers Martha Mendoza in Santa Cruz, California, and Bobby Caina Calvan in New York contributed to this report.