Northern Californians dry out, take stock after stormy finish to '22
SAN FRANCISCO -- Northern Californians were drying out and digging out on New Year's Day after a powerful storm brought drenching rain or heavy snowfall to much of the state, snarling traffic and closing major highways.
Dozens of drivers were rescued on New Year's Eve along Interstate 80 near Lake Tahoe after cars spun out in the snow, the California Department of Transportation said. The key route to the mountains from the San Francisco Bay Area reopened early Sunday to passenger vehicles with chains.
"The roads are extremely slick so let's all work together and slow down so we can keep I-80 open," the California Highway Patrol said on Twitter. Several other highways, including Highway 50, also reopened.
More than 4 feet of snow had accumulated in the high Sierra Nevada and the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area said heavy, wet snow would cause major delays in chairlift openings. On Saturday, the resort reported numerous lift closings, citing high winds, low visibility and ice.
A so-called atmospheric river storm pulled in a long and wide plume of moisture from the Pacific Ocean. Flooding and rock slides closed portions of roads across the state.
Rainfall in downtown San Francisco hit 5.46 inche on New Year's Eve, making it the second-wettest day on record, behind a November 1994 deluge, the National Weather Service said.
Along the Central California coast Sunday morning, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office lifted an evacuation warning for residents in the area of Santa Rita Creek in the Bolsa Knolls neighborhood. That warning was issued Saturday due to flooding in the area.
In Santa Cruz county, evacuation advisories around Corralitos and Salsipuedes creeks were lifted and an evacuation zone along the San Lorenzo River was expected to be reopened later on Sunday.
The rain was welcomed in drought-parched California. The past three years have been the state's driest on record -- but more precipitation is needed to make a significant difference.
It was the first of several storms expected to roll across the state in the span of a week. Saturday's system was warmer and wetter, while storms this week will be colder, said Hannah Chandler-Cooley, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Sacramento.