SAN FRANCISCO — High winds roaring into the California coast on Jan. 14 toppled an 18-wheeler on the Golden Gate Bridge, blocking each southbound lanes, in response to the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
The driver, who suffered accidents, needed to be extracted from the tractor, CHP officers stated.
A standing on the motive force’s well being was not instantly obtainable. The freeway was blocked for a number of hours.
The National Weather Service had simply issued a excessive wind warning for the Golden Gate and different bridges near the time of the accident, giving discover to high-profile autos in regards to the risks of overturning.
California has been plagued all month by extreme weather.
More rain and snow fell throughout the weekend, making journey harmful and prompting evacuation warnings over flooding considerations alongside a swollen river close to Sacramento.
Bands of gusty thunderstorms began Saturday in the north and unfold south, with yet one more atmospheric river storm following shut behind Sunday, the National Weather Service stated.
Up to 2 inches of rain was predicted for the saturated Sacramento Valley, the place residents of semi-rural Wilton and surrounding communities had been warned to arrange to go away if the Cosumnes River continued to rise. The warning was downgraded from an evacuation order Sunday afternoon.
Gusts and as much as 3 toes of snow had been anticipated in the Sierra Nevada, the place the weather service warned of hazardous driving situations. Interstate 80, a key freeway from the San Francisco Bay Area to Lake Tahoe ski resorts, reopened after being closed most of Saturday as a result of of slick roads and snow.
The University of California Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab tweeted Sunday morning that it obtained 21.5 inches of snow in 24 hours. Its snowpack of about 10 toes was anticipated to develop a number of extra toes by Monday.
The California Highway Patrol rescued three individuals whose automotive slid off a rain-slicked street and ended up teetering on the edge of a cliff in the Santa Cruz Mountains on Friday. The occupants of the automotive “were scared for their lives and were in disbelief” once they had been pulled safely from the automotive because the car’s entrance finish hung precariously over the cliff’s edge, the freeway patrol stated in an announcement.
“We cannot stress this enough. Please ONLY drive if it’s necessary,” the assertion stated.
Just to the south in Santa Cruz County, the tiny neighborhood of Felton Grove alongside the San Lorenzo River was beneath an evacuation warning.
The swollen Salinas River swamped farmland in Monterey County. To the east, flood warnings had been in impact for Merced County in the agricultural Central Valley, the place Gov. Gavin Newsom visited Saturday to take inventory of issues and warn of nonetheless extra doable hazard.
“We’re not done,” Newsom stated. He urged individuals to be vigilant about security for just a few extra days, when the final of a parade of 9 atmospheric rivers was anticipated to maneuver by.
Several roads, together with State Route 99, had been closed as a result of of flooding Sunday in San Joaquin County.
In Southern California, winter storm warnings and advisories had been in place for mountain areas, the place many roads remained impassable as a result of of mud and rockslides. Two northbound lanes of Interstate 5 close to Castaic in northern Los Angeles County had been closed indefinitely after a hillside collapsed.
Downtown Los Angeles set a rainfall file Saturday with 1.82 inches, the weather service stated.
The sequence of storms has dumped rain and snow on California since late December, slicing energy to 1000’s, swamping roads, unleashing particles flows, and triggering landslides.
President Joe Biden declared a serious catastrophe in the state and ordered federal help to complement native restoration efforts in affected areas.
At least 19 storm-related deaths have occurred, and a 5-year-old boy remained lacking after being swept out of his mom’s automotive by floodwaters in San Luis Obispo County.
Dry days are in this week’s forecast for California beginning on Tuesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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