Placer County community under evacuation warning as South Yuba River waters rise
CISCO GROVE -- A low rumble can be heard for miles along Interstate 80. The source is coming from the South Yuba River.
"I mean, this is like an unprecedented amount of water for this area. It really should be snow," Nearby Resident Uriah Kaufman said.
Waterfalls have formed from the constant rain with water flowing onto roads and into the river. Rushing water from South Yuba River can be heard crashing into boulders.
Nearby residents are shocked to see this amount of water during this time of year.
"There are homes that are definitely in danger of being swept away," Kaufman continued. "It's just wild to see."
Even whitewater rafting experts say the rapids seen on Monday are extremely dangerous.
"It's Class VI right now, which is considered unreliable," Aaron Tippett, who has been whitewater rafting for over 30 years, shared. "Class V is hard enough. We don't need to be having people jump in the river when it's Class VI."
The warm rain melted the minimal snowpack in the Sierra, which led to more water rushing down the mountain at once. Much of it flowed straight into the South Yuba River. Many forested areas along the river have flooded.
One home became an island surrounded by fast-moving water, which left nine people stranded Sunday, needing to be rescued by Truckee fire crews.
"I'm seeing water that is probably the highest possibly since the 1997-'98 floods," Tippett continued. "I know there's been a bunch of big years and high water years since then, but that was the last really memorable big, big water. This is verging on that."
A short drive up the hill, CalTrans is asking drivers to chain up.
"They checked us at King Vale," Driver Lisa Whelihan explained. "Even though I had chains, I didn't really want to chain up and maybe have one fly off and damage the car. We decided to just turn around."
Even the locals from Meadow Vista were stunned to see the fast-moving river.
"I've never seen it this high" Whelihan said.
Regardless, the Placer County Sheriff's Office is ready to respond, sharing they have pre-positioned resources throughout the county in case of emergency.
"It's outstanding as far as filling up the reservoirs or getting water in the ground," Tippett shared. "It's very strange that we're getting this after such a huge dry spell the past few months."
The evacuated home remains empty as the evacuation warning still stands for the Cisco Grove area.
Placer County Sheriff's Office is asking residents to keep an eye on the conditions as rain is expected again Tuesday night.