Powerful, Brief Storm Pounds Northern California
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) -- A powerful new storm pushed into California from the north on Tuesday as parts of the waterlogged state were still cleaning up mud and damage from a siege of record rains last week
Gale warnings went up along almost the entire coast, flood advisories and watches were posted in parts of the North Coast and the Central Valley, and warnings for heavy snow were issued for the length of the Sierra Nevada.
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The National Weather Service said the storm was fueled by subtropical moisture from the north of Hawaii, combined with low pressure over the Northeast Pacific. The previous storms were fed by a similar plume, but it originated from south of the Hawaiian Islands and rained most heavily in the southern half of the state.
Because of the heavy rain, the weather service issued a Flash Flood Watch for Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties.
The Flash Flood Watch was expected to remain in effect until 4 a.m. Wednesday, when the most severe part of the storm will have moved out of the region, Cross said.
A Wind Advisory was also in effect for the entire Bay Area. The strongest winds are expected to subside by early Wednesday, according to the weather service.
To help residents prevent flood damage, the city of Napa opened a self-service sandbag station located in the parking lot on the west side of Freeway Drive at First Street, city officials said.
The new rain wasn't expected to arrive in Southern California until late Tuesday, so shovel-toting volunteers took advantage of sunny weather to clear mud from around dozens of homes in the San Bernardino County community of Highland, which was among areas hit hardest last week.
The storm was expected to renew the potential for debris flows and mudslides in areas denuded by wildfires, including the San Gabriel Mountains above Los Angeles' foothill suburbs. Those communities escaped trouble last week as flood control basins captured debris
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