California was inundated by much stronger atmospheric river storms

By Andrew Freedman 

Axios Generate

January 15, 2023

                        California will see two additional strong atmospheric river storms from Saturday through Tuesday. The water has nowhere else to go because the earth is already saturated, so it must flow off, resulting in disastrous floods.

The big picture: The most recent storm is causing evacuations due to rising water, and two-thirds of the state's citizens are under flood watches.

● Flood warnings are in effect for the San Francisco Bay area until Monday.

● Snow depth in the mountains is already above average for this time of year.

● Mountain snowpack was at 263% of average for the date as of Saturday, and 126% of average for April 1—the typical seasonal peak. This information was provided by the state.

● Some sites will have gotten at least 200 inches in only one month after the many further feet that are anticipated to fall in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The most recent: Communities in Santa Cruz County are once again under evacuation orders due to flash flood warnings. Earlier in the storm series, these communities had been evacuated and flooded. This includes Felton Grove and other locations around the San Lorenzo River.

● On Saturday, there were also evacuations taking place in Soquel Village, Santa Cruz County.

● Northern and central California are also being battered by strong winds with gusts of approximately 50 mph. Such wind speeds are sufficient to collapse trees and electricity lines and cut off power because of the damp soil.

● In California, there were around 36,000 people without electricity as of Saturday afternoon, but that figure is anticipated to rise when the winds pick up in the evening.

● According to NWS data, the Bay Area had received between 2 and 3.5 inches of rain, and the evening and nighttime hours were expected to bring further rain and sporadic thunderstorms.