Storm-Weary Californians Brace For More Weekend Rain

CALIFORNIA — As the weekend arrives, relief is nowhere in sight for rain-weary Californians as another pair of storms is set to bring additional flooding threats to already-soaked parts of the state.

Yet another atmospheric river-fueled weather event since Christmas Day will batter the state Friday and continue through the weekend, according to forecasters. The storms, which have killed at least 19 people, according to the Los Angeles Times, are the latest to hit California in 2023.

The onslaught of violent weather left sinkholes, uprooted trees, damaged roofs and collapsed hillsides. Roads closed due to rockslides or flooding, and tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes.

Meanwhile, Californians are scrambling to clean up and hoping for the best as more extreme weather targets the state.

"It's one step forward and two steps back right now," Laurie Morse, a disabled Army veteran, told The Associated Press. "There's so much damage already."

Storms Bring Death, Destruction

After significant damage to some communities, California was in a lull between storms Thursday. Because so much rain has fallen, flooding remained a concern, especially along the Salinas River in Monterey County.

Downtown San Francisco has received nearly 13.6 inches of rain from Dec. 26 to Jan. 10. Snowfall so far this season at the summit of the Mammoth Mountain resort in the Eastern Sierra hit 444 inches this week.

California's heavy rains and snow have likely caused more than $30 billion in damages and economic losses, according to AccuWeather. More than half of the state's 58 counties have been declared disaster areas, said Brian Ferguson, spokesperson for the state Office of Emergency Services.

Meanwhile, this week, crews worked to reopen major highways that were closed by rockslides, swamped by flooding, or covered in mud while more than 10,000 people who were ordered out of seaside towns on the central coast were allowed to return home, The AP reported.

The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services is scheduled to give a briefing on the state's response at 12 p.m. PT Friday. Watch the news conference live on Facebook.

The storms have claimed at least 19 lives. Most deaths were caused by falling trees and people driving on flooded roads.

A 5-year-old swept away by floods Monday in San Luis Obispo County still had not been found Friday. Close to 200 people — including about 120 National Guard troops, search and rescue crews from six counties, dive teams, searchers using dogs and drones — looked for Kyle Doan on Thursday in the receding waters and massive piles of debris along San Marcos Creek, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department said.

So far, they've found only one of his blue and gray Nike shoes.

"Yesterday I got to the point where I think I ran out of tears," the boy's mother, Lindsy Doan, told The Associated Press. "I just don't know what to expect anymore. I mean, I've tried to do a Google search: How long can a child not eat? How long can they be in wet clothes? ... We're worried because I don't know if they're going to be able to find him."

Atmospheric rivers pounding California since late last year have coated mountains with a whole winter's worth of snow and begun raising reservoir levels; however, experts say it will take much more precipitation to reverse the effects of years of drought.

The U.S. Drought Monitor's weekly update released on Thursday showed that "extreme" drought had been virtually eliminated a week after the worst category — "exceptional" — was washed off the map. Two weeks ago, extreme drought covered 35 percent of California.

Most of the state is now in the "severe" or "moderate" categories of drought, with small areas in the far northwest and far southeast in a status described as "abnormally dry," or the lowest level.

More Rain To Come

Seven storms have hit California since the end of December. Two more are on the way, and the state is unlikely to get a reprieve until the end of next week, Michael Anderson, a climatologist with the Department of Water Resources, told The AP.

"The challenge is they're storms eight and nine in the sequence, and the cumulative effect is likely to cause impacts larger than the storms themselves might cause," Anderson said.

This weekend's first storm will set its sights on Northern California, where several inches of new rainfall is expected, according to Accuweather forecasters. A few areas could receive more than 6 inches of additional rain, according to Accuweather.

The second storm will move into the West Coast in time for the weekend and may pack a punch throughout California. The storm is expected to bring more flooding risks as well as additional gusty winds, according to Accuweather forecasters.

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

The risk of new flooding for the San Francisco Bay Area and Central Valley will begin late Friday night or Saturday morning, the Los Angels Times reported. One exception is the Salinas River, where rising water could flood highways and cut off the Monterey Peninsula from Santa Cruz County and the rest of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Residents of Southern California can expect dry weather Friday before rain returns Saturday and continues through Sunday into Monday morning, according to forecasters. The heaviest precipitation is likely late Saturday night.

"For San Diego and western Riverside counties, rainfall is expected to range from around one-half inch near the coast to 1 to 2 inches in the mountains, with locally greater amounts," forecasters with the National Weather Service said.

The weekend storm is expected to be quick-moving with drier conditions expected by Sunday, according to Accuweather.

California could see additional rounds of rain next week, but the systems are likely to decrease in intensity as the current La Niña pattern continues to weaken, Accuweather forecasters said.

The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.