Californians were bracing Monday for another series of powerful storms that closed schools, downed trees, flooded roads and left thousands without power.
Governor Gavin Newsom reported that 12 people have died as a result of violent weather conditions over the past 10 days and warned that this week’s storms could be even more dangerous. He urged the population to stay at home.
Officials closed schools in several districts in Sacramento and Sonoma counties because of the storm. The Sacramento Unified School District canceled classes after six schools lost power. More than 36,000 customers remained without power Monday morning, far fewer than the more than 350,000 who were affected the day before — when gusts of 60 mph (97 km/h) toppled trees onto power lines — from agreement with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.
Santa Cruz County authorities established evacuations due to the threat of overflow of the San Lorenzo River. For its part, Santa Clara County issued evacuation warnings for several areas Sunday night.
The National Weather Service warned of a “relentless parade of atmospheric rivers,” storms that are long columns of moisture that stretch out into the Pacific and are capable of dumping shocking amounts of rain and snow. The rain and snow expected in the coming days comes after California has already been battered by storms that last week knocked out power to thousands of people, flooded streets and caused heavy surges in coastal areas.
US President Joe Biden issued an emergency declaration for California on Monday that bolsters storm response and rescue efforts in more than a dozen counties, including Sacramento, Santa Cruz and Los Angeles.