Sacramento sees flooding with more rain expected in NorCal on Wednesday
SACRAMENTO — Heavy rain and thunder rolled through the Sacramento region Tuesday evening, leading to multiple areas being flooded. That storm system began moving further into Northern California by the nighttime.
The storm system moving through Northern California is expected to bring more thunderstorms and rain showers during the late night Tuesday through much of Wednesday.
Follow along below for the latest updates.
Driver crashes after spinning out
The CHP North Sacramento said the flooded stretch of Business 80 led to one driver spinning out and crashing when he tried to exit the freeway.
The 30-year-old driver suffered major injuries in the rollover crash when the driver attempted to exit at Auburn Boulevard shortly after 8:45 p.m.
A major area of the highway had just experienced a major closure due to the flooding caused by Tuesday's heavy rain. More details on the flooded areas can be found just below.
I-80 closures in place due to flooding
Some Sacramento freeways were still feeling the impacts of Tuesday's heavy rain during the nighttime hours.
The Watt Avenue exit ramp from eastbound Interstate 80 was closed after being flooded, the California Highway Patrol's North Sacramento division said.
Meanwhile, over on Business 80 in the Arden-Arcade area, drivers in both the north and southbound lanes were initially using the shoulders of the freeway to get around the flooded lanes.
As of around 9:30 p.m., the northbound lanes of Business 80 at Fulton were completely shut down due to the flooding. Only one southbound lane was open.
More areas of flooding reported
A spokesperson for Sacramento County said there were around 100 calls from civilians reporting flooding at various areas throughout the day.
As of around 8:30 p.m., the county spokesperson said the most recent reports of flooding were in the North Highlands and Antelope areas.
Those sites are:
3008 Lerwick Road
3615 Mccain Way
6800 Watt Avenue
7646 Walerga Road
2581 Fair Oaks Boulevard
Heavy rain and thunderstorms
The National Weather Service Sacramento said the capital city received around an inch of rain over the span of an hour Tuesday evening, with more rain expected through the night.
Additionally, a line of thunderstorms was stretching from North Highlands up to Oroville. The NWS said these will continue bringing heavy rainfall as they move north-northeast at around 20 miles per hour.
A line of T-storms extends from North Highlands north into Oroville will continue moving north-northeast at 20 mph producing very heavy rainfall. Some local flooding of poorly drained areas may occur as it moves through Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln and rural areas. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/mzcBERcuIO
— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) December 20, 2023
Rain video at CBS13
Meteorologist Ashley Nanfria captured what the rain was like at CBS13's station in West Sacramento. Take a look below.
Heavy rain is coming DOWN at our @CBSSacramento station. Our gutter is trying to keep up. Be careful driving around tonight and keep that umbrella close by! ☔ #cawx pic.twitter.com/RGC7Voe09k
— Ashley Nanfria (@ashleynanfria) December 20, 2023
Arden gas station flooded
Video obtained by CBS Sacramento shows a gas station in the Arden-Arcade area was flooded Tuesday evening during the heavy rain.
The video, sent in by Aylin Vargas, captured the scene at a Mobil gas station at El Camino and Fulton avenues.
More lightning strikes
Chief Meteorologist Nic Merianos recorded video of more lightning strikes from Interstate 5 near Sacramento International Airport.
Decent cloud-to-ground lightning with storms this afternoon. Here’s the view from I-5 eastbound by @FlySMF. #CAwx @CBSSacramento pic.twitter.com/WpT8TKPMuX
— Nic Merianos (@NickMerianos) December 20, 2023
Flooding around the city
Viewers and law enforcement officials reported flooding on streets and major highways around the city.
North Sacramento's California Highway Patrol division said Interstate 80 was affected at the westbound light rail station off-ramp while the eastbound side at Watt Avenue was also flooded.
Additionally, flooding was reported at northbound Business 80 at Fulton Avenue. Traffic cameras in both areas showed major backups was drivers at a near-standstill Tuesday evening.
Cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were reported in northern Sacramento County into Placer County near Roseville.
A flood advisory is in effect for portions of Sacramento, Yolo, Placer and Solano counties through around 9:15 p.m. Tuesday.