Stockton neighborhood floods again as 'atmospheric river' hits Northern California

Hannah Workman, The Record
·3 min read
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A car is seen in deep waters on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022 in Stockton.
A car is seen in deep waters on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022 in Stockton.

Like most California residents, Elizabeth Zdradzinski of Stockton woke up Saturday morning to heavy rainfall from a winter storm sweeping across the state.

While Zdradzinski expected the rain, she didn't expect the phone call she received from her neighbor.

"The person who lives across the street called me and asked for help to clear out the dogs in his house because the water was rising in his house and he was like, 'The water's about to get in here,'" Zdradzinski said.

Zdradzinski, a longtime resident of the Victory Park neighborhood, sprung into action. She secured her neighbor's pets in her home, which she said was luckily built on higher ground than the other houses in her neighborhood.

Zdradzinski said city crews were able to go out to assess her neighbor's home and other houses in the area, but they were told, "There's nothing that can be done about it right now."

The National Weather Service reported Stockton has received 5.65 inches of rain in December through Friday.

The rain total is more than double for what Stockton is used to receiving.

Stockton averages 2.1 inches of rain in December, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Hannah Chandler-Cooley.

Chandler-Cooley said another rainstorm for Stockton is in the forecast for Wednesday and Thursday. Between 1 and 2 inches of rain are expected to fall next week.

The situation is especially frustrating for Zdradzinski because it is not the first time her neighborhood has flooded. She said her neighborhood also experienced flooding in October 2021, and homeowners were left to foot the bill for drainage system repairs.

In Stockton, the Hammer Lane underpass at the railroad tracks just east of Lorraine Avenue closed Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022 due to heavy flooding.
In Stockton, the Hammer Lane underpass at the railroad tracks just east of Lorraine Avenue closed Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022 due to heavy flooding.

"It makes me feel disappointed," Zdradzinski said. "This is Victory Park. It's a nice neighborhood. If this is happening in our neighborhood, it has to be happening in other parts of town. What is the city doing for the homeowners if they're not even able to fix what would seemingly be a simple issue of drainage and water runoff?"

Other parts of the city experienced flooding. Early Saturday morning, the Stockton Police Department issued a street flooding alert after the Hammer Lane underpass at the railroad tracks east of Lorraine Avenue became undriveable.

Street closures

As of 2 p.m. Saturday, the city of Stockton announced street closures at:

  • March Lane and Claremont Avenue (partial closure)

  • Bianchi Road and El Dorado Avenue

  • Robinhood Drive between Pacific Avenue and Claremont Avenue

  • Westbound Trinity Parkway and Eight Mile Road

  • Trinity Parkway between Walmart and Cosumnes Drive

The list was updated at 6:30 p.m. Saturday to include:

  • California Street and Heinz Street

  • D Street between Weber Avenue and Mrytle Street

  • Northbound El Dorado Street between Mayfair Avenue and Swain Road (partial closure)

  • Lincoln Street and Kohler Street

  • Eastbound March Lane and El Dorado Street (partial closure)

  • Mayfair Avenue and Dunmar Lane

  • Miner Avenue between railroad crossing and E Street

  • Oak Street and California Street

  • Oxford Circle

  • Swain Road and Montauban Avenue

  • Westbound Swain Road and Tam O'Shanter Drive (partial closure)

  • Tuxedo Avenue between Pershing Avenue and Orange Street

  • Wakeman Drive and Winwood Drive

  • Northbound West Lane and Bourbon Street (partial closure)

  • Southbound West Lane and Ronald Street (partial closure)

"[The] stormwater system is working at full capacity, but we are experiencing more water than the system can handle," the city of Stockton said in a statement Saturday evening.

Sandbag locations

Free self-fill sandbags are available for Stockton residents at two locations. Residents should bring their own shovels. Fill the bags one-half to two-thirds full. The bags should lie fairly flat when filled.

Here are the locations for the self-fill sandbags:

  • Oak Park Little League field parking lot, 3545 Alvarado Ave.

  • Former Van Buskirk Golf Course, 1740 Houston Ave.

The flood advisory in San Joaquin County is in effect until 10 p.m. Saturday. The flood watch issued by the National Weather Service in Sacramento expires at 4 a.m. Sunday.

Redding Record Searchlight/USA TODAY Network reporter Ethan Hanson contributed to this report.

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton neighborhood floods as storm hits Northern California