After a storm pours rain and snow, California dries out and drags itself out.

 02:22 PM IST, January 2, 2023, updated 02:22 PM IST

New Year's Eve in downtown San Francisco saw 5.46 inches of rain, ranking as the second-wettest day ever.

In South Lake Tahoe, California, on January 1, 2023, a snow plough works to clear snow off a road the morning after a winter storm dumped a lot of snow on the area.

On New Year's Day, California was drying out and digging out after a strong storm dumped heavy rain or snowfall on parts of the state, clogging up traffic and blocking key roadways.

The California Department of Transportation reported that on New Year's Eve, several drivers who had spun out in their vehicles due to the snowfall along Interstate 80 near Lake Tahoe were saved. Early on Sunday, the main road from the San Francisco Bay Area to the mountains reopened to passenger cars equipped with chains.

The California Highway Patrol said on Twitter, "Let's all work together and slow down so we can keep I-80 open. The roadways are extremely slick." State Route 50 and other roadways were among those to reopen.

In the upper Sierra Nevada, more than 4 feet (1.2 metres) of snow had accumulated, and the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area warned that heavy, wet snow would result in significant delays in chairlift openers. The resort reported many lift closures on Saturday, blaming strong gusts, poor visibility, and ice.

As least 33,000 customers were still without power on Sunday, down from more than 150,000 the day before, according to a map on the Sacramento Municipal Utility District website, workmen in the state capital cleaned toppled trees from roadways and walkways.

A lengthy and broad plume of moisture from the Pacific Ocean was brought in by an alleged atmospheric river storm. Roads throughout the state were partially blocked due to flooding and rock falls.

The National Weather Service reported that 5.46 inches (13.87 cm) of rain fell in downtown San Francisco on New Year's Eve, making it the second-wettest day on record, behind only a flood in November 1994. Twitter users posted videos of mud-colored water rushing along streets in San Francisco and an Oakland stairway that had been transformed into a true cascade by the downpour.

Several individuals were rescued in Southern California as storms flooded automobiles in San Bernardino and Orange counties. There were no severe injuries recorded.

People started reserving their positions for the annual floral extravaganza as the area dried out on New Year's Day and there was no forecast for rain on Monday.

The California drought-stricken state welcomed the rain. The state has seen its driest three years on record, but further precipitation will be required to noticeably alter the situation.

It was the first of numerous storms that were predicted to sweep the state over the next week. According to Hannah Chandler-Cooley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento, storms this week will be cooler whereas the system that passed through on Saturday was warmer and wetter.

Over the course of the week, the Sacramento region may get a total of 4 to 5 inches (10 to 13 cm) of rain, according to Chandler-Cooley.

The National Weather Service's Los Angeles-area office warned Tuesday or Wednesday would also bring another wave of heavy showers to Southern California.