California hit with one final round of storms
California has been hit by a final round of storms, bringing more rain and snow to a state already reeling from at least 19 weather-related deaths.
Rain and snow were expected Monday overnight and into early Tuesday morning in parts of the state.
Although weather should improve this week, many areas are currently at risk of floods and landslides.
Storms have battered California in recent weeks, flooding communities and forcing evacuations.
The back-to-back deluges have eroded roads and felled trees, making each successive storm more liable to cause serious damage as soils weaken.
One to three feet (30 to 91cm) of new snow fell in parts of California’s Sierra Nevada range over the weekend.
As of Monday, eight million people remain under flood watch on California’s central coast, and more than 38,600 customers in the state remained without power on Monday, according to poweroutage.us.
The Sacramento office of the National Weather Service (NWS) said that “periods of moderate to heavy snow will continue into Monday”. Meanwhile, heavy rain is forecast for Southern California throughout Monday into early Tuesday.
Governor Gavin Newsom urged Californians to remain vigilant and exercise “common sense over the course of the next 24 to 48 hours”.
Skies will begin to look sunnier starting Tuesday, according to the NWS, but a final gasp of wet weather will hit some areas on Wednesday and into Thursday.
US President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in California – the country’s most populous state – on Saturday night.
The scale of the damage caused by a once-in-a-generation deadly “parade of storms” has started becoming clear in California.
A total of 19 people have been confirmed dead, while a 5-year-old boy is missing after getting swept away by floodwaters.
Between 26 December and 9 January, parts of California saw up to six times more rain than usual, according to the NWS.
Last week, some areas of Santa Barbara received more than 410mm (16in) of rain in two days.
Storms have lashed coastal cities such as Santa Cruz and San Francisco, opening sinkholes in roads and cutting power to thousands of homes.
The rain has raised the water level in rivers across the state. Many low-lying areas along the Salinas River Valley were evacuated.