Despite delayed Russian River flood risk, evacuation warnings remain in place
SONOMA COUNTY -- Officials in Sonoma County on Friday reminded residents living along the Russian River that an evacuation warning for the area from Healdsburg to Jenner remains in effect.
The evacuation warning was originally issued by the Sonoma County Sheriff early Wednesday evening as the bomb cyclone storm began dumping rain on the region.
On Friday, officials said the current forecast predicts the Russian River will reach 32 feet on Sunday night. The following round of rain beginning Monday is expected to possibly raise the river's level to 39 feet or higher Tuesday night after 7 p.m.
Residents are advised to prepare to leave the areas below the 40 foot flood level in the Russian River area, taking essential items, such as medicines and important documents. If you live above the 40 foot level, your access may be reduced or eliminated.
Sonoma County residents can view current stream gauge readings, road closures, power outages and evacuations online. They also can look up their zone on the Sonoma County Emergency Services website.
An evacuation shelter is available at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds for those that need support.
In between storms, Northern California got some good news in two respects Thursday.
First, reservoirs that desperately needed a boost are getting one. And there's a little bit of encouraging news for those along the Russian River, at least through the next couple of days.
"Well, yeah. Maybe because I put in the tanks we got the rain," laughed Penny in Healdsburg.
KPIX first met Penny on the last day of November. She had just gotten her new water storage tanks. Barely a month, later she has 300 gallons of progress on one side of the house to go with 300 more gallons on the other.
"We'll see," she said of the turn of fortune. "Hopefully it continues throughout the rainy season."
Just about 20 minutes away, things are also adding up at Sonoma County's largest source of water storage.
"Well, a little bit more than 35,000 acre feet more than you probably saw the last time you were around," said Pamela Jeane, Assistant General Manager at Sonoma Water. "Which is great. Still not where we'd like to see it."
The good news is that Lake Sonoma is rising. The bad news is that it might take more rain all through next week just to get the water level back to where they started last year.
"It's not like just getting to that is great," Jeane said of the hill to climb. "We need to get well above that for it to be great."
Just how far to go? They could see double the amount of water in Lake Sonoma, and still be in the water supply pool, as in no flood releases necessary. Farther north, Lake Mendocino is filling up, of course it's smaller. But of all the rain that falls in this area, only 18% goes into either reservoir.
"In other words, 82% of the watershed is just free flowing," Jeane said.
As for the Russian River, there is a bit of good news, at least in the very short term. The forecast for crests on Friday and Sunday were both scaled back. Only Sunday is expected to rise above flood stage, and at a lower level than the 40 feet initially expected.
But there is concern about what comes next week as additional storms raising to the river's level.
"It just kind of keeps adding and adding," Jeanne said. "And as you start out at a higher flow and the next rain storm comes, unless it drops all the way back down, you're just accumulating."
Anyone who has been watching the forecast for the Russian River knows it has been wobbling around a bit, taking what happened last night and what has been forecasted in the days ahead. It reinforces that critical idea of getting enough breaks between storms, giving the ground a chance to dry out while giving some of that water a chance to get out to the Pacific.