SACRAMENTO — A powerful winter storm system moved across California on Thursday, toppling trees, knocking out power and bringing more rain, wind and snow to the already battered state.
The storm, one of several expected to hit the West Coast this month, moved ashore from the Pacific Ocean overnight. San Francisco whips across Heavy rain and high winds and Brings heavy snow In the Sierra Nevada.
A combination of high winds and saturated ground conditions is likely, forecasters warned Plant trees, leading to power outages. As of Thursday morning, about 180,000 customers were without power in the state, according to the monitoring site. power cut. us.
Symbolizing the power of the storm, the wind Blown onto the canopy above a gas station In South San Francisco, a tree fell on power lines near the railroad tracks south of the city. Suspension of train service Thursday morning in Burlingame.
Bay Area Rapid Transit, which carries thousands of commuters to work each day, warned of system-wide delays Thursday due to downed trees and continued wet weather.
As the sun rose in San Francisco, crews worked to clear streets littered with debris from downed trees and high winds. Near the city’s main public library, A family was rescued A tree fell on their car on Wednesday night. After the incident, the library warned on Twitter that “falling trees is alarming.”
Officials blamed the storm for at least two deaths on Wednesday. In Fairfield, Calif., a 19-year-old woman died after the car she was driving hit a hydroplane and a utility pole, northeast of San Francisco. Police said. A 2-year-old child died when a redwood tree fell on a mobile home in the rural community of Occidental in Sonoma County, said Josh Cerda, a fire engineer with the local volunteer fire department.
About three inches of rain fell overnight around Northern California and about an inch and a half in Sacramento, weather service meteorologist Johnny Powell in Sacramento said Thursday morning. Wind gusts reached 60 mph in Redding and 50 mph in the Sacramento area, he said.
Coastal areas of Southern California could see heavy rain late Thursday. That moisture raised the possibility of runoff along the state’s coast and interior valleys, as well as in areas around the Sierra Nevada foothills and wildfire scars, the weather service advised.
As a result, several school districts around the Bay Area canceled classes Thursday. A dozen school districts in San Mateo County, south of San Francisco, announced they would close Thursday, as did nine in Sonoma County.
Some parks across Northern California were partially or completely closed for the day.
Part of the storm Cont of Atmospheric rivers – Channels of moisture from the tropical Pacific Ocean. More rounds of heavy rain expected It will hit California on Saturday and again on Monday.
Scientists don’t know how climate change is affecting the likelihood that atmospheric rivers will hit the California coast again. Scientists are studying whether global warming will change the trajectory Air carries moisture around the atmosphere.
When such storms are particularly severe or come in rapid succession, they can deliver a lot of water very quickly to a state recently parched by drought and scorched by wildfires.
“This is an extreme weather event and we’re moving from extreme drought to extreme flooding,” said Karla Nemeth, director of the California Department of Water Resources. He told reporters on Wednesday. “What that means is that our trees are stressed a lot. After three years of severe drought, the ground is packed and there is a significant chance of the trees leaning over, creating significant problems.
California has suffered a severe fall this month as heavy rains and snow have provided relief to the state’s massive agricultural industry. The atmospheric river that drenched the West Coast last week killing at least five people in Oregon. Associated storm Win earlier this weekWidespread flooding in the Bay Area and at least four deaths in California.
Due to inclement weather, Governor Gavin Newsom announced state of emergency On Wednesday, he said he expected more highway closures, infrastructure failures and forced evacuations in the coming days.
Several communities across California issued evacuation orders Part of San Benito CountySouth of San Jose, a hydroelectric dam failure was expected to create flooding.
Christine Hauser, Soumya Karlamangla, Victoria Kim And Derrick Bryson Taylor Contributed report.
