Levee Break Triggers Major Flooding, Evacuations Amid CA Storm

MONTEREY COUNTY, CA — Nearly 8,500 people were ordered to evacuate their homes Saturday after a California river's levee failed, causing massive flooding and prompting dozens of water rescues as the latest atmospheric river hammered parts of the state with heavy rain.

Monterey County officials said the break in the levee — upstream from the unincorporated community of Pajaro along California's Central Coast — is about 100 feet wide. Crews went door to door Friday afternoon to urge residents to leave before the rains came, but some stayed and had to be pulled from floodwaters early Saturday.

First responders and the California National Guard rescued more than 50 people overnight. One video showed a member of the Guard helping a driver out of a car trapped by water up to their waists.

"We were hoping to avoid and prevent this situation, but the worst case scenario has arrived with the Pajaro River overtopping and levee breaching at about midnight," Luis Alejo, chair of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, wrote on Twitter.

At least two recent deaths are linked to the latest bout of severe weather pummeling California, according to an Accuweather report.

One of the two deaths associated with the storm occurred in Placer County in Northern California, while the second happened in San Bernardino County, spokesperson Shawn Boyd told AccuWeather.

A third person died Friday when strong winds caused the roof of an Oakland warehouse to collapse. Another person suffered minor injuries, according to officials. Authorities are investigating whether storm conditions played a role in the collapse.

Meanwhile, at least 13 others have died in the wake of back-to-back storms that brought blizzard conditions to California's mountain communities, police said.

This week's storm marked the state's 10th atmospheric river of the winter, storms that have brought enormous amounts of rain and snow to the state and helped lessen the drought conditions that had dragged on for three years.

State reservoirs that had dipped to strikingly low levels are now well above the average for this time of year, prompting state officials to release water from dams to assist with flood control and make room for even more rain.

The atmospheric river, known as a "Pineapple Express" because it brought warm subtropical moisture across the Pacific from near Hawaii, was melting lower parts of the vast snowpack built in California's mountains by nine atmospheric rivers early in the winter and later storms fueled by a blast of arctic air.

Flash flood warnings remain in effect for parts of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Monterey, Tulare and Sonoma counties on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

Major flooding was reported in Springville and Kernville, both in Tulare County, where the Kern River spilled over its banks, surrounding some houses and mobile homes, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Other rivers surging above flood stage include portions of the Eel, Russian, Salinas, Carmel, Sacramento, Merced and Cosumnes rivers and Bear Creek, the Times reported, citing the National Weather Service.

Massive amounts of snow have blanketed the Sierra Nevada this season, contributing to the swelling of creeks, rivers, and other waterways. As of Thursday, Mammoth Mountain, a popular California ski resort, had measured 556 inches of snow for the season, significantly higher than the historical average of 300 inches, according to Accuweather.

While the snowpack at high elevations was expected to absorb the rain, snow below 4,000 feet could start to melt, potentially contributing to flooding, forecasters said.

"When we get large amounts of snow to build up in the Sierras like we have seen during the past week, the potential for flooding during warmer temperature swings dramatically increases. This is a huge concern when atmospheric rivers come onshore and bring a surge of warm, moist air and heavy rain to the Sierras," AccuWeather Meteorologist Aaron Druckmiller said. "These effects cause a rapid increase in otherwise normal snowmelt runoff, leading to the general overwhelming of creeks, rivers and other forms of water management infrastructure."

Heavy snowpack also contributed to roof collapses in parts of the state, including a grocery store providing crucial supplies in Crestline and a Dollar General store in Amador County.

The weekend's extreme weather resulted in "15 shelters open in nine counties, more than 9,400 people under evacuation orders, approximately 54,000-plus people without power," Nancy Ward, director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, told The Times on Friday.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared emergencies in 34 counties in recent weeks, and the Biden administration approved a presidential disaster declaration for some on Friday morning, a move that will bring more federal assistance to the state.

As for the rest of the weekend, residents of Southern California can expect light showers Saturday, according to the National Weather Service office in Los Angeles. Rain should subside Sunday, bringing partly to mostly cloudy skies through Monday.

In Northern California, light to moderate rainfall will persist through Sunday, according to NWS forecasters in San Francisco. Flooding will continue to be a concern for some areas, forecasters said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.