Flooded roads, evacuations, rescues: California battered by another atmospheric river

An atmospheric river battering California has prompted evacuations, a Presidential Emergency Declaration and a warning that Saturday afternoon will bring more heavy rain to portions of the state.

Meanwhile, forecasters said a winter storm could dump a foot of snow or more on northeast North Dakota, part of a storm impacting parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan this weekend.

In California, roads dramatically flooded around Kern County and National Guard members encountered floodwaters as they deployed to help first responders in Santa Cruz County. 

More than 9,000 California residents were under evacuation orders Friday. First responders rescued dozens of people Saturday in a Northern California agricultural community after the Pajaro River’s levee was breached.

And In an unusual move, officials opened spillways at Lake Oroville for the first time since April 2019 because one of the most important reservoirs in the state had too much water. State water managers have been grappling with the best way to use recent storms to help emerge from a severe drought.

The storm, known as a “Pineapple Express” because it is fed by moisture stretching over the Pacific to Hawaii, has caused particular concern because California’s mountains have built up a huge, expansive snowpack after multiple other atmospheric rivers hit the state this winter. 

The snowpack at high elevations is so deep it should be able absorb the rain, forecasters said. But lower elevations could face a troubling combination of snow melt and precipitation at the same time.

Forecasters’ concerns are primarily concentrated away from the state’s major population centers. On Saturday morning, Los Angeles and San Diego were free of weather watches, warnings and advisories; the San Francisco Bay Area was under an expansive flood watch.

Here’s more details on the weekend weather forecast as of Friday night for the U.S.:

California

An atmospheric river blasting Californiawill continue to dump rain and heavy snow on much of the state Saturday but the worst should be over.

As a result of the storm, which killed at least two people and prompted widespread evacuation warnings, President Joe Biden declared an emergency in the state to free up federal aid for help responding to flooding and mudslides. 

The Pajaro River’s levee was breached by flooding in what a local official called “the worst case scenario.” Authorities ordered more than 1,500 people to evacuate in the unincorporated Monterey Bay community of Pajaro along the Central Coast. First responders rescued more than 50 people early Saturday morning and crews were working to fix the levee early Saturday.

On Saturday, the storm should die down a bit and the state will get a break on Sunday, said Bob Larson, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather.

Atmospheric river: The weather phenomenon extends thousands of miles from the tropics to the western U.S

It will be short-lived as another atmospheric river is set to hit the state on Monday. 

All the precipitation in California does carry some good news for the state.

About 26 percent of the state is now considered drought-free, up from just 16 percent on Feb. 28, Larson said, adding that new figure doesn’t even include the two atmospheric rivers impacting the state Saturday and next week. 

“It’s not ending the drought but i’s absolutely helping,” he said. “Although it’s causing all kinds of problems short term, the big picture long term is it’s a help.”

A weird winter winds down: New data details record warmth, strange snow patterns

Winter storm map

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East/Northeast

Like California, the eastern and northeastern part of the U.S. will continue seeing winter storm weather on Saturday before a tranquil Sunday, followed quickly by another storm.

A strip of the region between Buffalo and Binghamton, New York can expect 6-12 inches of snow while New York City may get 1 to 3 inches. 

The farther east the storm moves, the “less of a big deal it becomes,” Larson said. 

Western Massachusetts may get between 2 and 4 inches of snow while Boston seems like it will be spared from any major precipitation this weekend. 

Come Monday, that’ll change with a nor’easter. 

“It won’t be a prolonged lull,” Larson said. “But all of New England should be dry and tranquil in between for Sunday.”

The South

Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected in eastern Oklahoma and most of Arkansas on Saturday before the threat shifts southeast to the southern half of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia on Sunday. 

US weather watches and warnings

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National weather radar

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Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Flooding in California; snow in New York, Dakotas: Weekend weather

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