California Weather Live: Flash flood warning in San Francisco following storm evacuations from Montecito and Santa Barbara

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Drone video of a flooded Felton in Santa Cruz County

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At least 17 people have been killed and a five-year-old is still missing as a series of severe storms continues to batter California.

The storms – which began battering the state last week – have lost more lives than two years of wildfires.

About 22 million people across California and parts of Oregon remain under a flood warning as it looks like the atmospheric river will continue to dump heavy rainfall across the region.

Severe weather saw the celebrity enclave of Montecito placed under an evacuation order, and all of San Francisco was warned Tuesday of flash flooding.

Searches resumed Tuesday for five-year-old Kyle Doane, who was swept away when his mother’s truck got stuck in a creek near Paso Robles in central California. Poor visibility and rough water forced emergency responders to postpone their efforts.

More severe weather is expected throughout the week, bringing more flash floods, river surges, and mudslides on already saturated soil.

View latest update 1673457126 The news links the “weather crisis” with the climate crisis

Gov. Gavin Newsom hinted at a connection between extreme weather in California and the climate crisis during a visit to Santa Cruz County on Tuesday.

The area has been one of the most severely affected by the atmospheric river that floods the state.

“The drought has been getting drier over the past three years, and the humidity is getting wetter. This weather hit — is this the new reality?” he said, according to NBC News.

California has been in a “massive drought” for the past two decades, intensified by the effects of global warming. The climate crisis is responsible for about 42 percent of soil moisture deficits since 2000, according to a UCLA paper last year. She also noted that it could take several years of heavy rainfall to overcome a mega-drought.

California Governor Gavin Newsom listens during a news conference about storm damage Jan. 10 in Capitola

(AP)

Louise Boyle Jan 11 2023 17:12

1673455667 Tens of thousands are still without electricity

Tens of thousands of customers remain without power across California as severe storms continue to batter the state.

Utility tracker Poweroutage.us reported that about 57,835 homes and businesses were without power Wednesday morning.

Most of the outages are in Mendocino County, north of San Francisco, along with Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties that include the city of San Jose and Silicon Valley.

Power outages across California on Wednesday, January 11

(poweroutage.us)

Louise Boyle Jan 11 2023 16:47

1673454767 California transportation officials are warning people not to get off the road

California transportation officials have warned people to take to the roads with more severe weather on the way.

Counties were “strongly advising” the public to avoid travel this week if possible, according to the California Department of Transportation, known as “Caltrans.”

“These storm systems have affected the majority of CA in some form or form,” the department tweeted, advising drivers to consult the state’s travel alerts before venturing out.

Louise Boyle Jan 11 2023 16:32

1673453834 Will California’s epic storms be enough to end the state’s drought?

According to the National Weather Service, the spate of storms that have battered California since late December means the state received between 400 and 600 percent of its usual rainfall.

By early January, state scientists at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada Mountains were also recording 177 percent above-average snowfall.

But will the Atmospheric River end California’s historic drought, the worst in the state’s history?

Read more of Josh Marcus’s report at the link below.

Louise Boyle Jan 11 2023 16:17

The United States will suffer 18 separate weather and climate disasters worth $1 billion in 2022

The United States experienced 18 separate weather and climate disasters worth $1 billion in 2022 – the latest in consecutive years of wall-to-wall disasters.

That number was cited in a new report released by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Tuesday, placing 2022 joint third with 2011 and 2017 for the highest number of disasters. Only 2021, with $20 billion disasters, and 2020, with 22 disasters, topped that.

This year’s disasters, including last month’s massive bomb hurricane, Hurricane Ian and two tornado outbreaks, have killed at least 474 people.

Louise Boyle Jan 11, 2023 15:58

1673451437 Storm deaths likely to increase, California governor says

California Governor Gavin Newsom said the death toll from the storms is likely to increase.

At least 17 people have died after wave after wave of torrential rains swept the state.

The Associated Press reported that a truck driver and a cyclist were killed early Tuesday morning in the San Joaquin Valley when a tree struck by lightning fell on them. Other deaths occurred due to car accidents and lightning strikes.

Louise Boyle Jan 11 2023 15:37

The search is entering its third day for five-year-old Kyle Dwan, who was swept away by floodwaters in California

The search for a five-year-old boy has entered its third day, after he was swept away by the raging flood waters that are still hitting California.

Kyle Dwan was last seen Monday morning when he and his mother were stranded in their car near San Miguel.

Rachel Sharp Jan 11, 2023 15:30

Severe weather triggers mudslides and debris flows

Major highways across California have been closed after they were made impassable by floods, mudslides, and debris flows.

On Wednesday, crews were working to reopen roads as more than 10,000 evacuees from coastal areas due to dangerous conditions were allowed to return home.

Owner Maurice Henao looks at the small rock resting in his parked car along Pacific Highway in Malibu, California on January 10.

(Reuters)

Louise Boyle Jan 11 2023 15:17

California surfers take advantage of the huge waves generated by a 50-year-old storm

Monster waves and heavy rain flooded California causing massive damage to cities across the state, but many surfers made the most of the adverse situation.

A video taken at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge last week, which has now gone viral, showed a group of surfers braving the wind and riding high waves generated by a bomb hurricane, which surf blog The Inertia called a “50-year storm.”

Many visitors can also be seen standing near the water filming and cheering them on.

Read the full story here:

Rachel Sharp Jan 11, 2023 15:00

A snapshot of Wednesday’s weather

The National Weather Service reported that the atmospheric California River will refocus primarily across northern parts of the state on Wednesday.

There will be more heavy rain and mountain snow on the already waterlogged land during rainy days.

To the east, a few strong to severe storm surges will be possible in the valleys of the mid-Mississippi and Ohio.

Weather systems affect the United States in the next 24 hours

(NOAA/NWS)

Louise Boyle Jan 11 2023 14:45

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