Highway 50 In Sierra Closed Due To Mudslides
A key mountain route between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe is closed indefinitely because of a series of mudslides.
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A key mountain route between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe is closed indefinitely because of a series of mudslides.
Environmental activists and local government officials warned more than a decade ago about the risk of catastrophic flooding below a major Northern California dam, but state and federal regulators dismissed those fears at the time.
The Oroville Dam threatened by the possible failure of a damaged emergency spillway that forced the weekend evacuation of almost 200,000 residents has operated under temporary licenses for a decade, according to new reports.
It was just an ordinary Sunday afternoon in Tevin Lee's Oroville neighborhood. Then the evacuation alert was sounded.
If the emergency spillway at the Oroville Dam gave way, it would send a pressure wave down the system.
A fleet of state and National Guard helicopters were preparing to dump tons of rocks on an eroding spillway at the Oroville Dam Monday, carrying with them the hopes of more than 188,000 evacuees who fled in panic when a collapse appeared to be imminent.
Chopper 5 was over Oroville Dam in Butte County, a day after 188,000 people downstream along the Feather River were evacuated due to fears of a potential failure of the emergency spillway.
At least 188,000 people were asked to evacuate in the area near the Oroville Dam Sunday after authorities warned an emergency spillway in the structure was in danger of failing and unleashing uncontrolled flood waters on towns below.
State officials said Friday they no longer believe the swollen reservoir will breach the Oroville Dam's emergency spillway.
U.S. weather forecasters said Thursday the cool flip side to the climate phenomenon El Niño has faded away.
California has retained largely symbolic measures guiding water conservation during drought.
Geographic data indicates California has a mega flood about every 100 to 200 years. So the Golden State is long overdue for a big storm.
A coalition of state and local leaders is pressing California to lift restrictions on urban water use in the wettest winter for years to drench the state.
Officials said storage levels rose above 133,000 acre-feet this week surpassing the previous high of 132,900 set in 2013.
California's Sierra Nevada snowpack is at a drought-busting 173 percent of average - the most since 1995, state water officials announced Thursday.
East Bay Municipal Utility District reservoirs are full after heavy rains this winter, one of the wettest in years.
The site of a deadly mudslide 35 years ago in the Santa Cruz Mountains has been wiped out again.
An overturned car was recovered from the rain-swollen Alameda Creek Tuesday, but the Tracy woman who was inside when it careened into the rushing waters remained missing.
Following several major storms to start the year, January 2017 in the Bay Area will go down among the 10 wettest since recordkeeping began in 1849.
A flood on the southern Santa Barbara County coast has swept cabins and vehicles down a narrow canyon as the latest storm drenches California.
The Napa County Board of Supervisors next week is expected to ratify a declaration of emergency related to damage caused by the recent stormy weather.
Earth sizzled to a third-straight record hot year in 2016, government scientists said Wednesday. They mostly blame man-made global warming with help from a natural El Nino, which has since disappeared.
The city council of Orinda declared a State of Emergency Tuesday night because of a large sinkhole caused by last week's wet weather.
During the recent storms, hundreds of trees have come down in San Francisco alone. Once the debris is gone, homeowners could be slapped with a bill.
Northern California continues to struggle Thursday with clogged commutes, flooded roads and water-logged homes after several days of relentless rain that has lightened.
