Pacific storm expected to bring heavy rain, high winds to High Desert

A Pacific storm system that began rolling into the High Desert on Wednesday evening was estimated to bring about 1-inch of rain and maximum wind gusts of up to 60 mph, the National Weather Service reported.

A wind advisory was issued between Wednesday night and Thursday evening for Apple Valley and Lucerne Valley.

Anticipating heavy rain showers from an approaching storm, the Town of Apple Valley placed several road safety signs in areas prone to flooding.

A wind and winter storm warning was also issued for the San Bernardino Mountains.

A flood watch was issued between 2 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Thursday for the local mountains and the Inland Empire.

Snow levels in the local mountains are expected above 7,000 feet. After the cold front passes through on Thursday afternoon, the snow level will drop to about 6,000 feet.

Dry conditions are expected Friday into Saturday, with an increased chance of rain by early next week.

Caltrans

In response to the oncoming powerful storm, Caltrans on Wednesday activated approximately 1,200 electronic highway signs statewide to display urgent safety messaging.

“Safety is always Caltrans’ priority, so as a violent storm deluges our state, today we activated our electronic message signs to advise everyone to avoid unnecessary travel during the peak of the storm,” said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares. “If travel cannot be postponed, we urge motorists to drive slowly, allow themselves plenty of time and be especially alert.”

On Wednesday morning, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an emergency proclamation throughout California to support the ongoing response to recent winter storms.

Caltrans has activated its district emergency operation centers and is working with local partners to respond to the storm and be poised to recover from its damage.

In addition, the department is:

• Prioritizing staffing, with more than 4,000 crew members working 12-hour shifts.

• Placing equipment at critical locations to prepare for flooding and mudslides to quickly respond to emergencies.

• Monitoring bridges as the river levels rise and water flows increase.

If travel is unavoidable, Caltrans urges drivers ―before they get on the road ―to go to the Caltrans website and check QuickMap.dot.ca.gov for real-time traffic information or call 800-427-ROAD.

Caltrans also reminds drivers to move over to allow crews, California Highway Patrol officers, and other emergency personnel to perform the important tasks needed to keep the roads open.

And if motorists see standing water, use caution. It may be deeper than it appears. Never drive through moving water.

Newsom declared a state of emergency to allow for a quick response and to aid in the cleanup from another powerful storm that hit just days earlier. The new storm already left more than 76,000 customers in the San Francisco Bay Area and nearly 19,000 more along the Central Coast without power. Dozens of flights out of San Francisco were canceled, and schools in one of the city’s suburbs preemptively canceled Thursday classes.

The storm, which brought howling winds to Northern California on Wednesday evening, is one of three so-called atmospheric river storms in the last week to reach the drought-stricken state.

The first evacuations were ordered for those living in areas burned by three recent wildfires in Santa Barbara County, where heavy rain forecast for overnight could cause widespread flooding and unleash debris flows. County officials did not have a firm number for how many people were under evacuation orders, but Susan Klein-Rothschild, a spokesperson in the county’s emergency operations center, estimated it was in the hundreds.

Among the towns ordered to evacuate was Montecito, where five years ago huge boulders, mud and debris swept down mountains through the town to the shoreline, killing 23 people and destroying more than 100 homes. The town is home to many celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan.

“What we’re talking about here is a lot of water coming off the top of the hills, coming down into the creeks and streams and as it comes down, it gains momentum and that’s what the initial danger is,” Montecito Fire Department Chief Kevin Taylor said.

Elsewhere, a 45-mile stretch of the coastal Highway 1 that runs through Big Sur was closed Wednesday evening in anticipation of flooding and rock falls. Further north, a 25-mile stretch of Highway 101 was closed due to several downed trees.

Officials asked drivers to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary ― and to stay informed by signing up for updates from emergency officials about downed trees and power lines, and flooding.

The storm was forecast to drop up to 10 inches of rain on an area where the hills have already been saturated over the past month.

The storms won’t be enough to officially end the state’s ongoing drought, now entering its fourth year. The U.S. Drought Monitor showed that most of California is in severe to extreme drought. Since the state’s major reservoirs are low, they have plenty of room to fill with more water from the storm, officials said.

Still, trees are already stressed from years of limited rain. Now that the grounds are suddenly saturated and winds are heavy, trees are more likely to fall. That could cause widespread power outages or create flood hazards, said Karla Nemeth, director of the state’s Department of Water Resources.

“We are in the middle of a flood emergency and also in the middle of a drought emergency,” she said during an emergency briefing.

The storm comes days after a New Year’s Eve downpour led to the evacuations of people in rural Northern California communities and the rescue of several motorists from flooded roads. A few levees south of Sacramento were damaged. On Wednesday, authorities in south Sacramento County found a body in a submerged car ― one of at least four victims of flooding from that storm.

By Wednesday evening, nine Northern California counties were under flood watches or advisories.

Evacuation orders were in place in Santa Cruz County’s Paradise Park along the swiftly moving San Lorenzo River, as well as in areas along the Pajaro River. Residents who fled wildfires in the Santa Cruz Mountains in 2020 were packing their bags as the towns of Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond, and Felton were all warned they should be prepared to evacuate.

Sonoma County authorities issued an evacuation warning for residents along a stretch of the Russian River.

Meanwhile, 8,500 sandbags distributed by officials weren’t enough to meet demand as forecasters warned of imminent flooding.

Storms were taking a toll elsewhere in the U.S. as well. In the Midwest, ice and heavy snow this week closed down schools in Minnesota and western Wisconsin and caused a jet to go off an icy taxiway after landing in a snowstorm in Minneapolis. No passengers were injured, Delta airlines said.

To the south, a possible tornado damaged homes, downed trees and flipped a vehicle on its side in Montgomery, Alabama, early Wednesday.

In Illinois, staff from the National Weather Service’s Chicago office planned to survey storm damage on Wednesday following at least six tornados, the largest number of rare January tornadoes recorded in the state since 1989.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Pacific storm expected to bring rain, high winds to High Desert