Storm to exacerbate California flooding into Wednesday

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

January 10,2017, 9:29:59PM,EST

 

 For storm reports on the storm impacting California, click here.

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An additional push of heavy rain will worsen the California flooding situation into Wednesday.
The next storm will unload copious moisture onto central and northern California Tuesday and Tuesday night, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Michael Doll.

Heavy rain threatens to cause more flooding, mudslides
After the weekend deluge, several rivers in northern California remain near or above flood stage. This includes the Eel, Navarro, Sacramento, Russian and Middle Fork Feather rivers.
Additional rainfall from the latest storm could top half a foot along the northern California Coast Ranges and west-facing slopes of the Sierra. An additional 1 to 4 inches is expected across California’s Central Valley.
“Some creeks and rivers will become overwhelmed once again and there is a high danger of rock slides and mudslides,” Doll said.

The risk for flash flooding will be even higher than the weekend given the saturated nature of the soil. Some residents may need to be evacuated if levees are breached.
Motorists may need to find an alternate route in order to avoid closed roads due to flooding, debris or washouts.
Gusty winds will accompany the rain, threatening to down more trees and cause additional power outages.
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Heavy rain will also affect portions of western Oregon, including Medford and Eugene. Incidents of flash flooding will be more localized along this swath.
A bit of rain will reach Los Angeles and San Diego, mainly from Tuesday night to Wednesday.
Snow to cause dangerous travel over the mountains
Feet of snow will continue to pile up over the Sierra as the moisture pushes onshore.
Snow levels will remain around 4,500 feet into Wednesday. Travel will be dangerous over the mountain passes, including I-80’s Donner Pass. Roads may be forced to close for a time due to the intensity of the snow.

“Snow will come down so furiously, it will be nearly impossible to keep roads clear of snow,” Doll said.
Heavy snow will also pile up from the Oregon Cascades to the Bitterroots and Tetons.