Death Toll At 18, Child Still Missing As ‘Enormous Cyclone’ On Track For CA

The relentless and deadly rains that have plagued California since the start of the new year show no sign of abating, with more accumulation forecast later into the week.

At least 18 people have died in the storms battering the state, according to the Associated Press, including two drivers who were killed early this week when a large tree fell on their vehicles near Visalia, AccuWeather reported. A woman's body was found in a submerged car in Sonoma County Wednesday morning, one day after a caller said there was water in their car and the line went dead. The death count is likely to rise, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday during a visit to the scenic town of Capitola on the Monterey Bay coast that was hard hit by high surf and flooding creek waters last week.

Kyle Doan, a 5-year-old who was swept away Monday by floodwaters in San Luis Obispo County, was still missing Wednesday.

An “enormous cyclone” is expected to bring heavy wind and potentially multiple inches of rain to Northern California on Wednesday before traveling northward to the Pacific Northwest, according to the National Weather Service. Southern California will be granted a brief reprieve before the wet weather is anticipated to return to the area as early as Friday, with significant rainfall most likely Saturday and Monday.

Flooding and mudslides are expected across the state after the predicted weekend rain, AccuWeather reported.

"Tree damage and power outages could be more extensive with how wet the ground is already," meteorologist Joseph Bauer told AccuWeather.

President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for the entire state Sunday and authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts and provide emergency resources.

A powerful storm that struck early in the week and tapered off Tuesday afternoon over Southern California dumped more than 10 inches of rain in some areas overnight, with the bulk falling in Ventura County.

Downtown Los Angeles has had 5.28 inches of rain through Jan. 10 — 160 percent of what the area would normally see over the month of January, according to AccuWeather, which reported San Francisco had 5.36 inches in the same time — 138 percent of the normal January amount.

Tens of thousands of people were evacuated early in the week from Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara counties, the Associated Press reported, including residents of wealthy Montecito, which is home to celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry. The Montecito area saw a two-day rainfall total of over 8 inches, according to AccuWeather.

More than 220,000 customers were without power Tuesday across California, due in part to downed trees, AccuWeather reported. PG&E reported at midday Wednesday that more than 18,000 PG&E customers remain without power in the Bay Area.

At least two vehicles were swallowed by a massive sinkhole in Chatsworth, from which emergency personnel rescued multiple people. Topanga Elementary School will be closed until further notice, with students and staff moved to Canyon Charter Elementary School in Santa Monica because of storm damage. About 400 people and 70 horses were trapped Tuesday at the Rancho Oso RV & Camping Resort by mud and debris in Santa Barbara County.

North of San Francisco, schools in four districts in Sonoma County remain closed on Wednesday according to the Sonoma County Office of Education "due to fallen trees, lack of electricity, flooding, or other concerns related to storms."

The destruction stretched inland as well. State Route 168 in the Fresno area was impassible after a rockslide left boulders bigger than cars in the center of the road, according to AccuWeather, which reported that feet of snow closed mountain passes in the Sierra Nevada. A hiker was also killed Monday in a Nevada avalanche, KLAS reported.

City News Service contributed to this story.