Storm-battered California gets more wind, rain and snow

Storm-battered California got more wind, rain and snow on Saturday, raising flooding concerns, causing power outages and making travel dangerous.

Bands of rain with gusty winds started in the north and spread south, with more storms expected to follow into early next week, the National Weather Service said.

More than 68,000 people were without electricity on Saturday morning.

Flood warnings were issued for the region north of San Francisco Bay, including Marin, Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties.

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Flooding at Lough Funshinagh forces road closures and home evacuations

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Downpours likely to continue disrupting farming but potential high pressure respite on the way

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Weather warnings: Status yellow rain alerts in place for Cork and southeast counties

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To the south, warnings were posted for parts of counties including San Mateo and Santa Cruz, where the tiny community of Felton Grove, along the San Lorenzo River, was ordered to be evacuated.

An evacuation order was also issued for residents of the Wilton area in semirural south-eastern Sacramento County. Authorities cited the threat of flooding from the Cosumnes River.

The swollen Salinas River swamped farmland in Monterey County, and, to the east, flood warnings were in effect for Merced County in the agricultural Central Valley, where Governor Gavin Newsom visited to take stock of storm problems.

“The reality is that this is just the eighth of what we anticipate will be nine atmospheric rivers – we’re not done,” he said at a briefing with local leaders where he urged people to be vigilant for the next 24 to 48 hours.

“This is happening all across California but I want to say ... you guys are disproportionately taking the brunt of it, and if you feel that way you’re right,” he said.

President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in the state and ordered federal aid to supplement local recovery efforts in affected areas.

Icy roads, snow and whiteout conditions plagued highways throughout the Sierra Nevada.

The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab tweeted on Saturday morning that it had received 21.3in of snow in 24 hours.

A backcountry avalanche warning was issued for the central Sierra, including the greater Lake Tahoe area.

A series of atmospheric rivers has dumped rain and snow on California since late December, cutting power to thousands, swamping roads, unleashing debris flows, and triggering landslides.

At least 19 storm-related deaths have occurred, and a five-year-old boy remained missing after being swept out of his mother’s car by floodwater in San Luis Obispo County.

Half of the deaths have involved motorists, and some could have been prevented if drivers had heeded road closure signs, said the acting commissioner of the California Highway Patrol. – AP