First Alert Weather: Series of storms hit Northern California

Northern California communities are gearing up for another round of wild weather. In Stanislaus County, the National Weather Service issued two tornado warnings in Modesto overnight  People woke up to heavy rain, roaring thunder, and lightning throughout the area with video recordings from Turlock, Modesto, and Oakdale.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/modesto-braces-for-another-round-of-severe-weather-following-tornado-warnings/  

Interstate 80 is back open to passenger vehicles, with chain controls, on eastbound lanes at Colfax and westbound at the Nevada state line. Big rigs are still restricted.

It has been an all-hands-on-deck effort as crews with Sacramento Municipal Utility District continue to restore power for thousands of homes. As of Tuesday, officials say power has been restored to 95% of customers, but there are still about 12,000 people without power.

SMUD officials tell CBS13 that crews are overwhelmed and stretched thin. They say this kind of weather event is unprecedented. As a result, the agency called for help outside of the county. 

Crews are coming from as far north as Redding and as far south as Los Angeles to assist SMUD crews.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/smud-prioritizes-public-safety-hazards-before-outages-some-customers-still-without-power/

Downed trees have left hundreds of people living in the foothills powerless as temperatures drop into near-freezing temperatures overnight.

Mike and Terri Brown have been living in storm survival mode in Georgetown. 

"So, in the last 72 hours, we've lost our power twice," Mike Brown said. 

The couple has two giant German shepherds and a wood stove. 

"One of the nice things is we can have the wood stove going," Brown said. 

When CBS13 caught up with them Tuesday night, the Browns' power had just been turned back on.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/hundreds-of-people-in-el-dorado-county-still-living-in-the-dark/

At the height of this weekend's storm parts of Sacramento were nearly washed away after the equipment responsible for preventing flooding lost power.

Weeks of rainstorms are to blame for the dynamic river conditions, and pumps in the Natomas area are responsible for flood prevention.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/sacramento-flood-pumps-die-mid-storm/

Sacramento County and Stockton Unified Schoo districts report that classes will resume at all of its schools on Wednesday. 

Earlier this week, the schools were closed due to storm-related issues, including tree and debris removal and power outages.

Nic Merianos is looking ahead at what we can expect in the next round of storms.

The Solano County Office of Emergency Services has issued an Evacuation Warning in part of Fairfield due to flooding concerns. 

Lake Curry is flooding over its banks, prompting a warning for areas along Business Center Drive and Thomasson Lane. Evacuation is not mandatory. If flooding happens, which the agency expects, it would come in the early morning hours of January 11.

Fairfield police have notified many of those impacted. Lake Curry is in Gordon Valley. Excess water from it flows into Suisun Creek, which travels through parts of Fairfield.

The County is also monitoring for debris that could dam the creek.

In the town of Copperopolis, winds topped 72 mph. 

Traffic on I-80 is still holding due to whiteout conditions over the summit. CBS13 checking in from Nyack: https://fb.watch/hZQou12kHw/

Storm damage clean-up will keep the Sacramento Zoo closed through Friday.

The zoo made the announcement about the extended closure on Tuesday. All animals and staff are safe, officials say. The animals will be kept in their indoor habitats, where they will be safe and warm during subsequent storms. 

Clean-up work continues after this weekend's wind storm brought down big branches and trees. Among the trees was a large oak that was lifted off its roots and came to rest against a building that houses the off-habitat bedrooms for meerkat, otter, and mongoose lemur, the zoo says.

"Several chainsaws and a forklift were required to clear a redwood that blocked one of the main service paths that runs throughout the zoo. Animal care staff transferred several small mammals (meerkat, otter, lemur) into air-kennels and evacuated them to other secure buildings within the zoo."

Sinkholes swallowed cars and floodwaters swamped towns and swept away a small boy as California was wracked by more wild winter while the next system in a powerful string of storms loomed on the horizon Tuesday.

Millions of people were still under flood warnings, and more than 200,000 homes and businesses were without power because of heavy rains, hail and landslides. Thousands have been ordered to evacuate their homes.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/landslides-sinkholes-floodwaters-plague-soggy-california/

Caltrans says that Highway 50 has reopened to all traffic; however, chain controls remain in effect. They urge drivers to make room for snowplows. 

Here's what conditions looked like at 3:22 p.m. at Echo Summit.

Officials say all Sacramento County Regional parks and trails will be closed at least through Wednesday. 

The parks have been closed since Monday. 

Utility crews are still hard at work fixing downed power lines, like in Davis where a whole row was brought down. 

Most Davis residents have had their power restored as of Tuesday. However, crews are still out on a stretch of Second Street next to Toad Hollow Dog Park that was hit hard by the storm. 

Second Street from L Street to Cantrill Drive remains closed due to the power line work. 

Several areas that were under evacuation warnings in El Dorado County are now clear. 

According to the sheriff's office, the following locations have had their evacuation warnings lifted: Highway 50 and White Hall - Highway 49 and Union Mine Road to the Amador / El Dorado County border.

Officials have now lifted the evacuation order that was in place for Wilton. 

The Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services made the decision to lift the order late Tuesday morning. 

While the order is now lifted, officials are warning residents who are returning home that weather conditions into the weekend remain concerning.

A man had to be rescued at Discovery Park on Tuesday morning. 

Sacramento Fire crews launched a boat from the Garden Highway entrance to reach the man. Once getting to him, they were able to get him to shore and from there he was transported to the hospital. 

The condition of the man is not clear. 

Exactly how the mean got trapped in the water at Discovery Park is also not clear. 

The Fremont Weir is now flowing constantly as of Tuesday. 

The nearly two-mile-long concrete structure is designed to allow flow into the Yolo Bypass from the Sacramento River when it swells. 

The Department of Water Resources says they expect water to continue to flow through the weir for the next five days. 

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was in effect early Tuesday morning parts of the Central Valley.

Several Tornado Warnings were also active for a time.

All Severe Thunderstorm and Tornado Warnings expired a little before 5 a.m. 

Multiple school districts in Northern California issued a response to what they expect to be harsh weather starting tonight and heading into next week.

Here is the list of schools that will be closed Tuesday due to either power outages or damage: https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/storm-update-how-some-northern-california-school-districts-are-responding-to-the-harsh-weather/

After heavy rain battered Solano County, residents are gearing up for more severe weather. In Vacaville, people spent most of Monday cleaning after floodwaters reached neighborhoods.

Alamo Creek's water rose before flooding surrounding neighborhoods. People woke up to find the creek just yards away from their front door.

"It was pretty crazy," Samuel Lamas said. "I thought it was actually going to flood over and we were going to have to evacuate or something. My car was out there, it was almost flooded in."

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/vacaville-braces-for-more-rain-following-floodwaters-from-creek/

Sacramento County has added 150 beds in various shelters since the series of storms arrived, including some at the North 5th street shelter, just a few hundred feet from where a woman was killed in her tent.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/despite-storm-related-death-on-american-river-parkway-homeless-still-wont-budge/

A traffic alert has been issued for Bird and Linne roads in Tracy. 

A flood warning has been issued for Stanislaus County residents in the low-lying areas near Dry Creek and the Tuolumne River.

The Central Valley Incident Management Team, which includes the Modesto Fire Department, urges people to be prepared to evacuate if necessary. Stay up-to-date on conditions by visiting https://www.stanemergency.com/naturalDisasters/Floods.shtm or following Central Valley Incident Management Team on Facebook or Instagram.

For evacuation questions, call Stanislaus Emergency Services at 209-552-3880.

The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office says a portion of the county is under an evacuation advisory. 

The area is bordered by: 

• Linne Rd, Bird Rd.
• Durham Ferry Rd. 
• Chrisman Rd.

Dial 2-1-1 for assistance, or call the Sheriffs Office at (209) 468-4400. Monitor weather, obey road closures, and yield to emergency personnel.

The Flood Warning in place for the Cosumnes River at Michigan Bar has been canceled.   

The County of Sutter Office of Emergency Management has issued a targeted evacuation order for a trailer park on the river side of the Sacramento River levee in a northwestern part of the county. 

The order is in effect for residents of the trailer park Lovey's Landing. 

Officials say the order is in effect as of 10 a.m. Monday. 

This is the latest forecast on the storm: 

A major road in the Central Valley is closed in two places due to flooding. 

Caltrans District 10 says Highway 33 is closed between E. Marshall Road and Pomelo Avenue south of Patterson. It's also closed south of Westley from Lemon to Mulberry avenues. 

Officials are urging people to take an alternate route, like Highway 130 or Howard/Grayson Road. 

All chain controls along I-80 have now been dropped. 

Traffic is still moving slowly over Donner Summit, however.

Chain controls remain in effect along Highway 50 from Twin Bridges to Meyers. 

Chain controls have now been dropped on along the eastbound side of I-80 in the Sierra.

Westbound drivers are still seeing chain controls from the Donner Lake Interchange to Rainbow. 

Flooding has I-505 at the I-5 junction north of Woodland closed, Caltrans says. 

A detour is in place at County Road 19. 

No estimated time of reopening has been given yet.

Caltrans says both I-80 and Captial City Freeway are back open after flooding caused serious issues during the Monday morning commute. 

Residual delays are expected into the early afternoon hours.

S. Brewer Road in unincorporated Lincoln looks more like a river than a roadway right now. 

In a video taken by the Placer County Sheriff's Office on Monday, a large stretch of the roadway appears underwater. 

It should go without saying that the road is closed. 

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office says there were two people who died in storm-related incidents over the weekend. 

Both people were unhoused at the time, officials say. 

The first person, whose name was released on Monday, was the one who was killed by a falling tree on Saturday. She has been identified as 40-year-old Rebekah Rohde. 

The second person was killed in a storm-related incident on Roseville Road near Tri Stations Road in the North Highlands area. he has been identified as 61-year-old Steven Sorensen. 

California Highway Patrol says westbound I-80 at Longview Drive to Winters Street will be closed for at least 4 hours due to flooding. 

Traffic is being diverted off the freeway and emergency work is ongoing.

Business 80 is also closed between Fulton Avenue and Watt Avenue. Caltrans says they expect it to reopen at 12:30 p.m.

An evacuation warning has been issued in a Vacaville neighborhood as concerns grow over the Putah Canal and Alamo Creek.

The warning is in effect for residents in the Southwood Place area. 

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/evacuation-warning-issued-for-vacaville-neighborhood-over-concerns-about-putah-canal-alamo-creek/

Commuters should take note that roads all around the Sacramento area are a mess Monday morning as wet weather moves through the region again. 

Flooding along the westbound side of Interstate 80 at Longview is affecting all lanes. Traffic is backing up past Watt. 

The Capital City Freeway is also seeing some flooding at Fulton Avenue. 

There are also delays on all other freeways.

People are being urged to stay off the roads if at all possible. 

Highway 16 in Yolo County is closed at the Highway 20 junction due to mudslides, Caltrans says. 

No estimated time of reopening has been given. 

An evacuation center is being opened at the Hart Senior Center in James Marshall Park for people needing shelter from the storm in Sacramento. 

Sacramento County is operating the shelter, along with the American Red Cross. 

Officials note that pets are allowed at the location. 

People who need help getting to the shelter are urged to call 211. 

Numerous schools are now closed on Monday due to the weather.

In the Galt Joint Union Elementary School District, all campuses will be closed. Officials say they plan on opening as normal on Tuesday.

River Delta Unified in the Rio Vista area will be closed Monday and Tuesday.

Jesuit High School will be closed on Monday due to a power outage and trees down on campus. All scheduled sports games, both home and away, are also being rescheduled.

St. Francis High School will be closed on Monday as well.

In the Lodi Unified School District, four schools will be closed on Monday: Dorothy Mahin, Live Oak Elementary, Middle College High, and Turner Academy.

All Amador County Unified School District campuses will be closed on Monday.

San Joaquin Delta College will also be closed on Monday. 

The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for Cosumnes River at Michigan Bar and McConnell. They expect the flood stage to be exceeded on Monday afternoon, with minor flooding being the forecast.

The warning will affect El Dorado, Sacramento, and Amador Counties.

A flood advisory has been issued for Newman City and Orestimba Creek Area.

The creek is expected to rise tomorrow at 10 p.m., and that may cause flooding in the area.

The Sacramento County Department of Regional Parks has closed all parks effective Jan. 9 due to the extreme weather.

The American River Multi-Use and Dry Creek Parkway trails will also be closed, so bicycle commuters should find alternative routes.  

This closure is expected to last through Tuesday, Jan. 10, with the potential to extend depending on weather and park conditions. 

The Stockton Unified School District has announced that classes for Jan. 10 have been canceled due to expected extreme weather.

The Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services has issued an evacuation order for residents living in the Wilton area, effective immediately. Flooding is imminent. Out of an abundance of caution, residents must leave now before roads become impassable. 

This evacuation order also applies to Elk Grove residents living between Menlo Oaks Ct and Bradley Ranch Road, including the following streets: 

• Canter Drive
• Equestrian Drive and Court
• Wrangler Drive
• Clark Lake Lane
• Menlo Oaks Court
• Hunters Brook Court
• Sherman Oaks Court
• Wilton Road
• Leisure Oak Lane
• Austin Court
• Mooney Road
• Sheldon Woods Way
• Burnt Spur Court
• Saddlehorn Court
• Chambeau Way
• Grenache Way
• Wandas Way
• Beitzel Road
• Bradley Ranch Road
• Spanish Grant Road
• El Arroyo Road
• And all other unnamed streets and roads connecting to any listed above

Evacuation Center:

Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation, 9040 High Tech Ct, Elk Grove, CA 95758. If you are evacuating pets or livestock, please call 2-1-1 before evacuating to determine the most appropriate place to take them. 

The road boundaries for the Wilton area evacuation order:
• Northbound: Jackson Rd/Hwy 16
• Eastbound: Grant Line Rd, south to Bond Rd, south to Hwy 99
• Southbound: Arno Rd, west to Alta Mesa Rd, south to Twin Cities Rd, west to Clay Station Rd
• Westbound: Clay Station Rd, north about 4 miles, then northwest to Jackson Rd/Hwy 16 

The Sutter County Sheriff's Office has issued an Evacuation Warning for Lovey's Landing RV park on the river side of the Sacramento River levee in Sutter County.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office has issued an Evacuation Warning due to possible flooding.

Locations:

- Highway 50 and White Hall
- Highway 49 and Union Mine Road to the Amador / El Dorado County border

Last night's wind gusts topped out at near hurricane force. 

Sacramento International Airport recorded a peak gust of 72 mph. 

McClellan Airport wasn't too far behind at 68 mph as well. 

Two long stretches of roads in Davis are closed due to downed power lines. 

According to the city, Pole Line Road from Cowell Boulevard to 5th Street and 2nd Street from L Street to Cantrill Drive are closed.

Officials say they expect the closure to be in place until Monday or even later. 

Even business owners on 2nd Street are not being allowed through due to the danger. 

Staff at the Sacramento Zoo say all animals and workers are OK, despite some damage on the grounds after the extreme storm. 

Staff say they have been there since the middle of the night clearing up. 

They're also unsure when they'll be able to open back up. They expect to be closed at least Sunday and Monday. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom will be addressing the storm and the state's response shortly. 

The governor's office says he will be highlighting flood preparations, among other topics. 

Watch the address right here on this page. It's scheduled to start around 1 p.m.

A large old tree at East Sacramento's East Portal Park fell victim to the extreme wind storm overnight. 

CBS13's Molly Riehl talks about her childhood memories at the park: 

An Evacuation Warning has now been issued for the Wilton area due to flooding concerns. 

The Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services issued the warning Sunday morning. 

Officials are concerned that rising water from the Cosumnes River may spill over onto roadways, cutting off access to the area. 

Of particular concern is how, last weekend, exit routes flooded quickly in the Wilton area. 

An evacuation center is being opened at the Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation at 9040 High Tech Court in Elk Grove.

Sacramento officials are urging people to remember the following numbers for certain situations. 

People calling to report down trees of flooding in the City of Sacramento should dial 311. 

Power outages should be reported to SMUD at 1 (888) 456-7683. 

Any emergencies, or sparking or downed wires, should be reported by dialing 911. 

Chain controls are up on both Interstate 80 and Highway 50 in the Sierra on Sunday morning. 

I-80 is in R2in both directions from Boca to Nyack. 

Highway 50 is also requiring chains from 3 miles east of Kyburz to Meyers. 

The smaller Sierra highways are also all seeing chan controls. SR-267 is R2 from Northstar to Kings Beach, SR-28 is R2 from Tahoe City to Kings Beach, and SR-89 is R2 from Truckee to Tahoe City. 

A crash has eastbound Interstate 80 blocked near Davis. 

The crash happened a little after midnight and involved a semi-truck. According to California Highway Patrol, it appears the semi blew over in the extreme wind, causing the roadway to be blocked. 

All lanes were blocked by the crash, prompting CHP to issue a SigAlert. 

Crews are still working to reopen the roadway. 

As of 6 a.m., nearly 320,000 SMUD customers remain without power across the utility's service area. 

All sections of Sacramento County are seeing power outages. 

The biggest outages are in the Rio Linda area (which has more than 50,000 customers in the dark), Citrus Heights (more than 44,000 in the dark), and Arden (more than 43,000 in the dark). 

Powerful wind gusts in the Sacramento area are knocking down trees and power lines, causing widespread power outages. 

SMUD customers who have lost power are asked to report outages to smud.org/outages or 1-888-456-SMUD.

At McClellan, wind speeds were clocked at 68 mph. 

According to Caltrans, chain controls are up on I-80 on eastbound at Kingvale and westbound at Donner Lake Interchange.

The City of Roseville revealed that they expect a few structures near creeks may experience an inch or two of water on their lower floors. 

With this information in hand, the city announced the following sandbag locations will open tomorrow at 8 a.m.:

• Maidu Regional Park at 1550 Maidu Drive (off of Rocky Ridge Drive)
• City of Roseville Corporation Yard at 2005 Hilltop Circle (off of PFE Road) 

On Sunday, Maidu Regional Park will remain open until 6 p.m. Corporation Yard will be open until 4:30 p.m. The closing times on Monday will be determined after further information about the storm impacts is gathered.

Roseville creek levels can be monitored at roseville.ca.us/stream. 

The Elk Grove Police Department has announced that on Jan. 8, Wilton Road will be closed at Grant Line Road from 6:30 a.m. to noon.

For information about nearby Red Cross shelters, click here.

Nic Meriano's is timing out the storm. Twitter users, be sure to follow him, here: https://twitter.com/NickMerianos

The National Weather Service (NWS) is also warning of windy conditions.

A Wind Advisory remains in effect until 1 p.m. Sunday, NWS says.

Kurtis Ming shares a few things you can do to prepare before the next round of storms hits.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=555323186485181&ref=sharing

Jordan Segundo and Ashley Williams deliver the first news and weather update of the day.

The Sutter County Office of Emergency Services declared a local emergency amid a series of storms impacting Northern California.

The declaration will last for seven days unless ratified by the county Board of Supervisors.

Steven M. Smith, a county administrative officer acting as director of emergency services, said the county, since December 28, has "experienced extraordinary storm conditions resulting in local flooding and power outages in areas throughout Sutter County."

Four more storms are expected to impact the region over the next several days. California Gov. Gavin Newsom already declared a statewide emergency this week to open up more resources ahead of the extended wet weather events.

Smith said the coming storms bring the "potential for displacement of people from low-lying areas immediately adjacent to the rivers and other areas of Sutter County that may be affected, and the need for resources to address safety and property issues."

A Flood Watch is in effect yet again, this time from Sunday at noon to Wednesday afternoon. The watch applies to most of interior Northern California as a series of storms over the next several days is expected to bring several inches of rain.

A Sacramento County spokesperson Friday evening said the Jim Jones Bridge over the American River near Sunrise Boulevard will remain closed until further notice out of an abundance of caution.

Four more storms are expected to roll through Northern California over the next several days, bring significantly more rain to the region.

The bridge closed Friday afternoon. Workers also lowered the railings.

With a series of winter storms on the way, Kurtis Ming provides context to what happened with the New year's Eve storm and flooding near Wilton.

As another major storm makes its way out of Northern California, four more winter storms are expected to impact the region over the next several days.  

• Storm 1: Saturday PM – Sunday Midday
• Storm 2: Early Monday – Tuesday
• Storm 3: Thursday – Friday
• Storm 4: Saturday, Jan. 14

We now have four straight First Alert Action Days for Saturday through Tuesday. CBS Sacramento will have extensive storm coverage each day.

Storm #1:

This will bring gusty winds and heavy rain this weekend. Expect a quiet start to Saturday but showers will pick up in coverage later in the day, some of which may produce heavy rain. This may result in localized pockets of flooding. We anticipate strong winds Saturday evening and Saturday night, gusting 40-50 miles per hour. Overall, this will not be as strong as the last storm but the combination of soaked grounds and weakened trees will likely result in outages across the area.

Storm #2:

This one will bring much heavier rain and stronger wind gusts to the region as soon as early Monday. Winds will likely gust 50-55 miles per hour, with pockets of up to 60 miles per hour as early as Monday morning and continue through the day. Rain will be heavier and last longer, renewing the chance for flooding region-wide. This storm will hit the San Francisco Bay Area especially hard with the potential for life-threatening flash floods.  

Precipitation Amounts Combined:

Rainfall between the first two storms will range from 3-6 inches in the Sacramento Valley. The Sierra Foothills should receive a whopping 5-10 inches (locally, 12 inches or more) of rain.

Snow in the Sierra will turn to rain with the second storm as snow levels rise to 7-8,000 feet Monday, then dropping as low as 6,000 feet Monday night. Overall snowfall between both storms will range between 3-7 feet in the higher passes.

Flood Impacts:

A few rivers to monitor next week include the Cosumnes, Sacramento, Yuba, and Bear rivers. Many small streams will approach the monitor stage. If rainfall amounts verify, we could see water flow into the Yolo Bypass and many segments along the Sacramento River approaching the monitor stage. If rainfall amounts verify at the high end of our range, we will be in for a potentially significant flood event of small rivers and streams with main rivers well into the monitor/ action stage.  

Storm #3 & #4

Both storms later in the week do not appear to be as strong or as wet as the early week storm. We will monitor the development of those storms and will pass along more info as the forecast becomes more clear.