Following another round of severe weather that battered the state over the weekend, millions of Californians were still under flood watch on Monday.
According to ABC News, forecasters warned that heavy rain would arrive Monday morning in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to the central coast later in the day.
The severe weather on Monday came after downtown Los Angeles received a record 1.82 inches of rain on Saturday. The University of California Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab recorded 21.5 inches of snow over a 24-hour period over the weekend, and more snow is forecast on Monday.
On January 13, 2023, in Salinas, California, an aerial view shows a house immersed in floodwater as the Salinas River starts to breach its banks.
On January 13, 2023, in Salinas, California, an aerial view shows a house immersed in floodwater as the Salinas River starts to breach its banks. Getty Images/Justin Sullivan
Hundreds of mudslides have occurred in California in January as the state has been battered by storms brought on by atmospheric rivers.
Multiple roads were closed due to flooding in San Joaquin County in Northern California on Sunday, while a portion of Interstate 5 in Los Angeles County was closed due to the fall of a hillside, according to officials. Around 8 million people were under flood watches on Monday.
According to the California Highway Patrol, three persons were successfully removed from a car that was “teetering on the edge of a precipice” on Friday in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
On January 14, 2023, flood waters inundate a residence by the Salinas River near Chualar, California, as a series of atmospheric river storms continue to wreak havoc all over the state.
On January 14, 2023, flood waters inundate a residence by the Salinas River near Chualar, California, as a series of atmospheric river storms continue to wreak havoc all over the state. Getty Images (DAVID MCNEW/AFP) )
Please ONLY drive if it’s necessary, the highway police urged in a Facebook post that said, “They were terrified for their lives and were in disbelief.”
In order to aid “recovery efforts in the areas hit by severe winter storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides” since December 27, President Biden declared a major disaster in California on Saturday.
According to a statement from the White House, “the President’s action makes Federal assistance accessible to affected residents in the counties of Merced, Sacramento, and Santa Cruz.” Grants for temporary housing and house repairs, low-interest loans to cover uninsured property damages, and other initiatives to assist people and business owners in recovering from the disaster’s consequences are all examples of assistance.
Residents of Felton, California, mop up their muddy neighborhood in this aerial photo taken on January 14, 2023, as a series of atmospheric river storms continue to wreak havoc over the state.
Residents of Felton, California, mop up their muddy neighborhood in this aerial photo taken on January 14, 2023, as a series of atmospheric river storms continue to wreak havoc over the state. Getty Images (DAVID MCNEW/AFP)
Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, also issued a “we’re not done” warning on Saturday as the state prepared for the ninth and final atmospheric river.
Given that estimates indicate that the state will see drier conditions starting Monday night, Californians should finally experience a break on Tuesday.