Rain and snowfall in California over the weekend have led to evacuations and dangerous travel conditions in a number of places across the state, including the Sierra mountains.
Just before the start of the holiday weekend that brought more snowfall, the California Highway Patrol rescued three people who ended up perched in their car on the edge of a cliff in the Santa Cruz Mountains after the vehicle slid off a rain-slicked road.
The car’s occupants “were scared for their lives and in disbelief” when they were pulled safely from the vehicle as the front end hung precariously over the cliff’s edge, according to the highway patrol.
The expected additional snowfall of one to three feet through Jan. 17 will cause hazardous conditions to continue, the National Weather Service’s Bianca Feldkircher told The Epoch Times.
Conditions Expected to Improve
Conditions could soon moderate enough to facilitate normal travel.“Confidence continues to increase that much drier conditions will settle over California by the end of the week and through at least the weekend,“ Fedlkircher said. ”However, since an abundance of snow has fallen over the Sierra these past few weeks, it’s going to be important to check and listen to any advice given by transportation officials.”
ABC News Meteorologist Ginger Zee reported on social media that this winter is the “snowiest start to the season in 40 years for the Sierra.”
“Even if snow stopped now, we would already be at average,“ Zee said. ”And there is another 60–80 [inches] in the next 7 days. ... This will help fill reservoirs in Northern California.”
Currently, the snowpack is estimated at about 10 feet and may be likely to grow several more feet.
A backcountry avalanche warning has been issued for the central Sierra, including the Lake Tahoe area.
The Sierra isn’t the only area experiencing unexpected snow levels.
According to the National Weather Service, a winter storm dumped nearly 20 inches of snow in northern Arizona on Jan. 15, with the Flagstaff area receiving 12 to 18 inches.
With more snow expected, Northern Arizona University (NAU) announced that all classes on the Flagstaff Mountain Campus would be canceled on Jan. 17 because of the storm. However, school officials have said that classes held at other NAU locations, including online, will continue at their regular times and locations.
Severe Weather in California
Elsewhere in California, conditions aren’t better with the coastal areas seeing torrential downpours that have caused flooding and mudslides and left trees blocking roads.The National Weather Service reported on Jan. 14 that bands of gusty thunderstorms began in the north and spread southward, with another so-called atmospheric river storm following close behind on Jan. 15.
On Jan. 14, President Joe Biden signed a major disaster declaration for California to aid state and local recovery efforts following the major storms.
“Federal funding also is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments, and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work in the counties of Merced, Sacramento, and Santa Cruz.”
Storms have been pounding California since late December 2022 as part of what the National Weather Service refers to as an “atmospheric river.”