A powerful atmospheric storm blew through Northern California, bringing heavy rain and snow, causing mudslides and debris flows, injuring a woman from Monterey, and damaging 25 separate structures.
During an interview, the Monterey County Deputy Fire Marshal, Dorothy Priolo, said the victim was trying to flee her residence after the storm caused a mudslide in her area. Medical authorities were able to treat the woman’s non-life-threatening injuries, and she has since been discharged.
Powerful Storm
After several inches of rain was observed, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued several flood warnings and advisories as Monterey County maintained some of its evacuation orders. In a post on Twitter, the NWS Bay Area announced they expected continuous heavy rainfall in the area that could bring an isolated thunderstorm.
Priolo said that the storm had affected at least 4,000 residents in Monterey County with evacuation orders. The mudslides and debris flow caused by the rainfall damaged about 25 different structures, including homes and outbuildings. Priolo added that the majority of the affected buildings were ranch-style properties.
Authorities said that the storm mostly affected areas where previous wildfires wreaked havoc, including Santa Cruz County, where this week, officials ordered the evacuation of 5,000 residents.
Additionally, officials opted to shut down Interstate 80 in anticipation of potential accidents that could occur due to the weather conditions, causing feet of snow. The route is a frequently used road that connects Northern California and Nevada, CNN reported.
“I-80 is CLOSED eastbound at Colfax and CLOSED westbound at the Nevada state line due to multiple spin-outs,” said the California Highway Patrol in a post on Twitter.