Nearly half a million without power in California as atmospheric river rainfall continues

There is no end in sight for the unrelenting rainfall inundating the West Coast with severe flooding and widespread power outages.

There is no end in sight for the unrelenting rainfall inundating the West Coast with severe flooding and widespread power outages.

Nearly 500,000 customers across California were without power on Sunday morning as the state continues to be walloped by an ongoing atmospheric river.

PHOTO: People watch as waves crash into a seawall in Pacifica, Calif., Jan. 6, 2023.
People watch as waves crash into a seawall in Pacifica, Calif., Jan. 6, 2023.
Jeff Chiu/AP

The ground that is typically parched as a result of a decadeslong megadrought has now been overly saturated with moisture that threatens to continue for several days. Some coastal roads have been washed away and homes flooded, and heavy rain and mountain snow continued into Sunday morning.

Northern California will see about a 12-hour break from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time on Sunday, with another round of heavy rain and snow to follow Sunday overnight into Monday morning. The region will be afforded with another break from about 7 a.m. Monday to midnight on Tuesday, forecasts show.

MORE: More than 33,000 without power as storm slams into California

Further south, the "fire house" of rain is expected to move down the state, with heavy flooding rains expected to hit the area between San Francisco and Los Angeles with non-stop rain from Sunday evening to Monday evening.

There is no light at the end of the tunnel for Californians hoping to see a break in the rain. The pattern is expected to continue in the coming week and into the next week wave after wave of atmospheric moisture affecting the coast.

PHOTO: In an aerial view, damage is visible on the Capitola Wharf following a powerful winter storm, Jan. 06, 2023 in Capitola, California.
In an aerial view, damage is visible on the Capitola Wharf following a powerful winter storm, Jan. 06, 2023 in Capitola, California.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Rain totals through Tuesday in northern California and the central coast are expected to be 2 inches to 5 inches in the valleys, up to 7 inches in the hills and between 6 inches and 12 inches in the mountains, forecasts show.

The influx of moisture will likely create more mudslides, debris flows -- especially in the burn scar areas -- and rapid rises of creeks, streams and rivers.

MORE: California, Nevada no longer under 'exceptional drought' conditions following severe influx of rainfall

The San Lorenzo River near Santa Cruz, a coastal town about 90 miles south of San Francisco, is forecast to reach major flood stage on Monday, nearing 23 feet. At about 21.76 feet, major flooding occurs in the Felton Grove neighborhood, with roadways several feet deep and waters inundating the approaches to the Felton Covered Bridge, according to the National Weather Service.

PHOTO: FILE - A resident walks along a flooded street, after "atmospheric river" rainstorms slammed northern California, in the coastal town of Aptos, Jan. 5, 2023.
A resident walks along a flooded street, after "atmospheric river" rainstorms slammed northern California, in the coastal town of Aptos, Jan. 5, 2023.
Carlos Barria/Reuters, FILE

The Alameda Creek near Niles, about 30 miles southeast, of San Francisco, is forecast to reach near record at 15 feet on Monday. The Alameda Creek in general will be near a record height, not just at this location.

MORE: What are atmospheric rivers? How climate change impacts the storms they produce

Winds with gusts up to 70 mph will continue to bring down trees and power lines, causing power outages and an unrelenting danger for people and homes within distance of trees.

Up to three feet of snow will have fallen in the Sierra Nevada by the time the weekend is over. Another 4 feet is possible in some regions through Tuesday alone, with more to come as the week progresses.

The moisture is also making its way further east, with western Colorado reporting 13 inches of snow over the weekend.

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