Cars Stuck In North Bay Floodwaters; Flood Advisory Extended

NORTH BAY, CA — A mudslide was blocking a roadway and cars were stuck in floodwaters Thursday morning in parts of Sonoma County and Napa County as an urban/small a stream advisory for the North Bay was extended by the National Weather Service. The agency said Doppler radar and automated rain gauges in the North Bay indicated an area of moderate to heavy rain occurring over the region with additional heavy rain detected offshore.

An alert was first issued just after 12:30 a.m. Thursday, and was in effect for all of Marin County and most of Sonoma and Napa counties through 3:45 a.m., then extended until 9 a.m. Thursday.

The NWS advised motorists to not drive over flooded roadways and to report them to law enforcement.

There were reports of flooding Thursday morning in Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Sonoma Valley and Napa County.

California Highway Patrol reported at 8:42 a.m. that a mudslide — mud, dirt and rock — was blocking both lanes of Adobe Canyon Road northeast of state Highway 12, toward Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Rohnert Park Expressway was closed between Rancho Verde Mobile Home Park and Stony Point Road due to flooding. At least one motorist had to be rescued from the deep floodwaters, Rohnert Park public safety officials said.

A Sig-alert was issued at 7:42 a.m. for state Highway 121 at Broadway in Schellville. SR 121 was blocked in both directions, where at least five cars became stuck in floodwaters.

"The river has flooded over and basically the cars are stuck in the overflooded river," a CHP dispatcher wrote.

In Napa Valley, Wooden Valley Cross Road has been closed at Wooden Valley Road since 6:48 a.m., according to the CHP. The southbound side of the intersection was completely flooded, CHP reported.

Flooding was also reported in Santa Rosa in the 4400 block of Old Redwood Highway near Willi's Wine Bar, where "the northbound lane was completely underwater,"; and on Slusser Road at River Road, where approximately 1 foot of water was on the roadway, CHP dispatchers wrote.

A tree was reportedly down on Calistoga Road at Bodmer Lane.

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Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

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