FORESTVILLE, Calif. (AP) – Northern California and Nevada braced for another powerful storm after getting lashed by downpours that flooded roads, homes and vineyards and toppled a storied giant sequoia.
Parts of Northern California were soaked by more than a foot of rain over a 72-hour period that ended early Monday, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate and leaving thousands without power. The heavy rains forced rivers out of their banks and toppled trees, among them the famed “Pioneer Cabin” in Calaveras Big Trees State Park that had a drive-thru tunnel carved into its base more than a century ago.
Another strong storm was bearing down on the region and expected to hit Tuesday.
Emergency crews in rescue boats and helicopters took advantage of a one-day respite from the rains later Monday to rescue stranded people and assess damage after a weekend of stormy weather that authorities called the heaviest rain in a decade.
In the Sierra Nevada mountains, a winter storm warning was in effect until Thursday morning with the potential for blizzard and white-out conditions, said Scott McGuire, a forecaster for the National Weather Service based in Reno, Nevada.