Washington, Jan. 1 Several states in the western and central United States remain on alert for heavy rains that have hit northern California and caused severe flooding and power outages on Saturday.
The National Meteorological Service reported this Sunday through social networks of the existence of “a powerful storm system” that will produce heavy snowfall in the mountains, gusts of wind and locally intense or excessive rain.
The system is moving eastward after torrential rains hit northern California on Saturday.
The city of Oakland was one of the most affected, with the heaviest rains in its history, which caused numerous floods.
Some 235,000 homes were without power in California and Nevada and hundreds of residents had to evacuate their homes on New Year’s Eve.
In Sacramento County, several rivers began to overflow their banks, according to the National Weather Service, and thousands of residents of municipalities like Wilton had to leave their homes due to the risk of flooding.
The hour-long torrent of rain forced the closure of Highway 101 south of San Francisco, cutting off a main route between the city and Silicon Valley, as well as Highway 50 in the Sierra Nevada that connects to South Lake Tahoe.
On Interstate 80 dozens of drivers who were trapped in the snow had to be rescued.
The alert affects some 15 million people and comes a week after winter storm Elliot left more than 50 dead from the cold and accidents, in addition to 1.7 million homes without power, with the city of Buffalo (northwest of the state of New York) as the most affected. EFE
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