Thousands evacuated in California as deadly storms cause massive flooding, mudslides

Tens of millions of Californians faced torrential rain, high winds, flooding and mudslides on Monday after relentless weather over the past 10 days killed 12 people and left tens of thousands without power.

The evacuation order for the entire community of Montecito and the surrounding canyon injured by recent wildfires comes on the fifth anniversary of a landslide that killed 23 people and destroyed more than 100 homes in the coastal enclave.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said the decision to evacuate nearly 10,000 people was “based on the continued level of rainfall with no indication that it will change before nightfall.” Rivers are overflowing and many roads are flooded, he said.

The US National Weather Service reported that up to 20 centimeters of rain fell in 12 hours, with several inches predicted before the latest storm system passes through. Upscale Montecito is sandwiched between the mountains and the Pacific coast and is home to celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

On the coast, evacuation orders were issued in coastal, forested Santa Cruz County for about 32,000 residents living near swollen rivers and streams, said Melodye Serino, deputy county administrator.

A large slide and mud blocked two lanes of southbound Highway 17, the main but windy route to Santa Cruz from the San Francisco Bay Area. The vehicle was restarted at the summit as crews arrived to clean it up.

More bad weather is expected in the coming days, the National Weather Service said. Most of California’s 39 million residents can expect up to 13 centimeters of rain near the coast, more than 30 centimeters of snow in the west and gusts of up to 100 km/h across the state.

The weather also downed trees and power lines, knocking out power to tens of thousands of Californians. As of Monday morning, about 120,000 homes and businesses were without power, according to data from Poweroutage.us. In Northern California, several districts are closing schools.

The severe weather brought high winds that overturned trucks, flooded streets in small towns along the Northern California coast and caused storm surges that damaged docks in Santa Cruz.

The risk of flooding increases

Heavy rain and snow have caused significant flooding and soil saturation, meaning the next storm to pass through this week will bring additional flooding threats, the National Weather Service said.

The weather service is warning of a “relentless parade of atmospheric rivers” — long stretches of moisture reaching the Pacific that can unleash spectacular amounts of rain and snow.

The rain expected over the next few days comes after last week’s storm knocked out power to thousands, flooded roads and damaged coastlines.

US President Joe Biden issued an emergency declaration on Monday to support storm response and relief efforts in more than ten counties, including Sacramento, Santa Cruz and Los Angeles.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said 12 people had died from the violent weather in the past 10 days, and he warned that this week’s storms could be even more dangerous and urged people to stay indoors.

Newsom’s warning came on the fifth anniversary of the landslide that killed 23 people and destroyed more than 100 homes on the coast of Montecito, north of Los Angeles, after powerful storms.

More rain is coming

The first of the latest and more severe storms prompted the weather service to issue a flood watch for large parts of Northern and Central California, with 15 to 30 centimeters of rain expected through Wednesday in the already saturated Sacramento foothills.

In the Los Angeles area, there is the potential for up to 20 centimeters of rain in the foothills on Monday and Tuesday. High surf is also expected on the west-facing coast.

Since Dec. 26, San Francisco has received more than 25 centimeters of rain, while Mammoth Mountain, a popular ski area in the Eastern Sierra Nevada, has received nearly three feet of snow, the National Weather Service said.

The storm wasn’t enough to officially end California’s drought, but it did help.

Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said he expects a break in the rain after January 18.

“That’s our best guess right now, which is good because it will give the rivers in Northern California, and now in Central California, a chance to go down,” he said.