Massive California storm brings flooding and triggers evacuations

Approximately 34,000 people are under evacuation orders across California, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a news conference Tuesday, adding the number is “dynamic and will change.”

Approximately 160,000 customers across the state are without power, he said.

Evacuation orders for Montecito and nearby burn scarred areas of Santa Barbara County have been lifted and residents are clear to return to their homes, county Sheriff Bill Brown announced in a countywide news conference Tuesday afternoon. 

Throughout the storm, the county has been deluged with water, the scene of flooding, mudslides, road closures and “countless rescues,” according to Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Anthony Stornetta.

Helicopters have been used in at least six hoist rescues, and 265 firefighters have been out responding to more than 400 storm-related calls scattered throughout the county’s approximately 3,000 square miles, Stornetta said. 

In the city of Santa Barbara proper, there were 110 calls for service ranging from gas leaks to people stuck in cars, homes and elevators, according to Santa Barbara City Fire Chief Chris Mailes. “The city is doing very well, considering,” said Mailes.

Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse said the city lost a fire engine as well as a couple of other trucks due to floodwaters during rescue attempts. Additionally, the airport’s runway is flooded leading to a halt to all incoming and outgoing flights.

The southbound lanes of the 101 Highway have fully reopened and California Highway Patrol Capt. Michael Logie anticipated the northbound lanes will reopen by 5 p.m. local time. Once that thoroughfare is back in action, work will commence on State Route 154, which is blocked by multiple rock slides. 

“This really tested what our capacity was,” Stornetta said of the torrent, noting the county saw 17 inches of rain in some places. Now, Santa Barbara braces for the next storm in the series, expected to hit this weekend.

About burn scars: The National Weather Service explains on its website "steep terrain combined with a severe burn scar and light precipitation can result in flash flooding within minutes of precipitation beginning."

As of Tuesday afternoon, at least 17 people have been confirmed dead across California as a result of the winter storms that have battered the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a news conference. 

From north to south in the Golden State this week, flooding, mudslides or threats thereof have led to evacuations, road closures and desperate rescues. On Monday, trees crashed down, homes lost power and major roadways were turned into rivers or otherwise closed as storms unleashed powerful winds and heavy downpours.

The strong winter storm that continues to batter the state of California has led to a significant amount of flooding and mudslides in the southern portions of the state.

There have been approximately 150 to 200 reports of flooding and mudslides across the region in the last 28 hours, Todd Hall, a National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist in Los Angeles, told CNN on Tuesday afternoon.  

The region consists of Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, Los Angeles County and San Luis Obispo County, Hall says.  

“We have at least 32 reports of mudslides” that are confirmed in the region in the last 28 hours, according to Hall.

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) has mobilized its largest response effort in company history as a result of a series of major winter storms that continue to affect the company’s service area, Teresa Alvarado, vice president of PG&E's South Bay & Central Coast Region, said during an update.

“A team of more than 5,000 PG&E crews and coworkers is working to restore power to customers who lost power during the most recent squall in a series of winter storms that has battered Northern and Central California,” the news release from PG&E stated.

Alvarado said they are getting support from fellow power electric companies from Canada, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. She said they are expecting additional resources in the coming days to help.

“Overnight, portions of the Central Coast, South Bay and Central Valley were particularly hard hit with wind, rain and more than 100 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes,” PG&E said. 

PG&E has more than 130,000 customers without power currently, according to PowerOutage.US.

The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) is prepositioning swift water resources and workers in certain areas of the state, Cal OES said in a news release Tuesday.  

The National Weather Service is forecasting thunderstorms for large portions of the state with concerns for debris flows from recent burn scars and the potential for renewed flooding, the news release said. 

Residents are being asked to be prepared and have a plan in place in the event they have to quickly evacuate. 

“The public is urged to be on the lookout for potential flooding and mudslides in areas recently burned by wildfires. A debris flow can take homes off their foundations and carry items such as vegetation, large boulders, and cars. If you live near or downslope of burn areas, you should have a plan to quickly evacuate your community if flash flooding or a mudslide were to happen,” Cal OES said.

About burn scars: The National Weather Service explains on its website "steep terrain combined with a severe burn scar and light precipitation can result in flash flooding within minutes of precipitation beginning."

You can read more about the risks here.

The ongoing storm system impacting the state of California has left many customers in the dark.   

Nearly 180,000 customers are currently without power across the state Tuesday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.US.  

The bulk of the outages are Pacific Gas and Electric Company customers, PowerOutage.US says.  

In the last two weeks, parts of California have received more than 25 inches of rain, with some areas receiving 35 inches or more.

Here's a look at how much precipitation the state has received in the last 14 days:

The NOAA Satellite & Information Service released a stunning satellite timelapse of the atmospheric river event affecting California, hitting the state hard with flood, rainfall and mudslide.

Take a look: