http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/california-storm-brings-heavy-rainfall-flood-warnings-strong-winds-knock-out-power/2012/11/30/35ad0bac-3b50-11e2-9258-ac7c78d5c680_story.html
http://www.weather.com/news/weather-winter/mount-shasta-snow-extreme-20121129
and.....
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/28/5014591/river-of-storms-headed-for-northern.html
SAN FRANCISCO — Another major storm moving into Northern California was expected to bring more pouring rain, flooding and additional problems to an area already soaked after two major storms, forecasters said Saturday.
Residents of Northern California enjoyed just a bit of a respite Saturday, but the next storm — the third in a string of powerful weather systems to hit the region since Wednesday — is expected to force at least two rivers over their banks, said National Weather Service hydrologist Mark Strudley.
With rivers and streams already running high and the ground saturated from the previous storms, the National Weather Service issued flood warnings for both the Napa and Russian rivers, two rivers north of San Francisco with a history of flooding.
“Some roads will become inundated and some of the agricultural areas will take on some water,” Strudley said.
The Napa River is expected to flood near St. Helena and Napa around noon on Sunday, while the Russian River is expected to flood near Guerneville early Monday morning, Strudley said.
A flash flood watch was also in effect for a wide area of Northern California through Sunday evening.
At the peak of Friday’s storm, thousands of people were without power, but by Saturday Pacific Gas & Electric was reporting only scattered outages, spokesman J.D. Guidi said.
The utility had extra crews standing by in anticipation of new outages caused by falling branches and strong winds, Guidi said.
Friday’s stormy weather may be behind the a crash of involving several cars on Interstate 280 outside of San Francisco on Saturday morning, as well as the death of a Pacific Gas & Electric worker in West Sacramento who was killed after his truck crashed into a traffic signal pole during the stormy weather Friday.
With the ground saturated with water, increasing the possibility of trees and branches falling onto roadways, and the roads expected to be slick, California Highway Patrol officials urged drivers to be extra cautious.
Officials were also warning people to be careful along beaches.
A high surf advisory was issued by the weather service, with swells expected to be 14 to 16 feet along the Northern California coast. In Southern California, high surf was predicted in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.
In San Diego, the Ocean Beach Municipal Pier was closed because of big waves and high tides.
With rain expected all weekend long, Tony Negro, a contractor from Penngrove, Calif., in Sonoma County, said he is worried about water flooding his workshop.
“I’m on my way to get some sand bags,” he said.
Elsewhere in the West, a state of emergency was declared in Reno, Sparks and Washoe County in Nevada due to expected flooding as a storm packing heavy rain and strong winds swept through the area.
Reno city spokeswoman Michele Anderson said public servants would be working overtime through the weekend to control what’s expected to be the worst flooding there since 2005. The National Weather Service issued a flood warning along the Truckee River.
The weather also prompted cancellations of Christmas parades and tree lightings in Sparks and Truckee, just across the border from California.
Also, a storm rushed through southern Oregon this week, lingering inland over the Rogue Valley and dropping record rainfall. It largely spared coastal Curry County and its southernmost city, Brookings, which were still recovering from a storm this month.
“We are still vigilant for landslides and road closures and trees down, but so far — knock on wood — we are still good to go,” Curry County Sheriff John Bishop said.
and....
http://news.yahoo.com/calif-storm-brings-intense-rain-flood-warnings-193046506.html
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The second in a series of storms slammed Northern California on Friday as heavy rain and strong winds knocked out power, tied up traffic and caused flooding along some stretches.
The weather also may be behind the death of a Pacific Gas & Electric worker in West Sacramento who was killed after his truck crashed into a traffic signal pole during the stormy weather.
Flights were delayed at San Francisco's airport, and in the city's affluent Pacific Heights neighborhood, traffic was blocked for hours after a large tree crashed down, smashing a car and obstructing a busy street.
A flash flood watch will remain in effect for most of the San Francisco Bay Area extending to the Santa Cruz Mountains throughout the weekend. A constant barrage of downpours could lead to standing water and overflowing drains, said Diana Henderson, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Monterey.
The North Bay was seemingly hit the hardest, as parts of Sonoma County received more than 7 inches of rain and areas in Napa County received nearly 6 inches, Henderson said.
"It's not a super storm by any measure, but this is pretty significant," Henderson said. "We should see periods of moderate to heavy rains."
With rain expected all weekend long, Tony Negro, a contractor from Penngrove, Calif., in Sonoma County, said he is worried about water flooding his workshop.
"I'm on my way to get some sand bags," he said.
Thousands of people were without power in that area after an outage that also affected the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The suspension span of the bridge was briefly in the dark as traffic was backed up longer than usual because of rain and strong wind gusts.
Also, a mudslide shut down a stretch of Highway 84 east of Fremont, the California Highway Patrol reported. There was no estimate on when it would reopen.
In Sacramento, an empty big-rig jackknifed in the southbound lanes and struck the median divider on Interstate 5 south of downtown Friday morning, the CHP said.
"I would definitely say it's weather-related. The reports came in that he hit a water puddle and hydroplaned and couldn't correct," CHP Officer Mike Bradley said. "A lot of high-profile vehicles, especially the lighter ones, are getting windblown and having some problems maintaining their lane."
No one was injured in the crash on I-5, California's main north-south highway. But a second vehicle also was damaged and had to be towed, while workers cleaned up diesel fuel spilled from the tractor-trailer.
In West Sacramento, police say wet conditions may have been a factor when a PG&E worker died after he lost control of his vehicle and slammed into a traffic pole. PG&E workers at the scene told KCRA-TV that the driver had been working overtime and was returning from Clarksburg in Yolo County.
Henderson said rain in the region is expected to taper Saturday, but return later that night into Sunday. The storms could create the possibility of rock and mud slides in areas already saturated and affected by wildfires this summer.
In Los Angeles, conditions were wet and gloomy as downtown skyscrapers disappeared in low-hanging clouds.
Elsewhere in the West, a state of emergency was declared in Reno, Sparks and Washoe County in Nevada due to expected flooding as a storm packing heavy rain and strong winds swept through the area. Reno city spokeswoman Michele Anderson said public servants would be working overtime through the weekend to control what's expected to be the worst flooding there since 2005. The National Weather Service issued a flood warning along the Truckee River.
The weather also prompted cancellations of Christmas parades and tree lightings in Sparks and Truckee, just across the border from California.
Also, a storm rushed through southern Oregon this week, lingering inland over the Rogue Valley and dropping record rainfall. It largely spared coastal Curry County and its southernmost city, Brookings, which were still recovering from a storm this month.
"We are still vigilant for landslides and road closures and trees down, but so far — knock on wood — we are still good to go," Curry County Sheriff John Bishop said.
Forecasters said the region should expect more storms over the next few days.
http://www.weather.com/news/weather-winter/mount-shasta-snow-extreme-20121129
If anyone lived on the summit of California's Mount Shasta, they'd need a mighty big shovel to dig out of the snowstorm that will bury the mountain in astronomical amounts of snow through the weekend -- amounts that could flirt with world records.
The Thursday morning National Weather Service summit forecast for Shasta predicted an incredible 33 to 39 inches of snow -- just for Thursday alone.
(By comparison, Atlanta, Ga., has reported 38.9 inches of snow since March 1, 1989 -- a period of over 23 years.)
But it gets crazier.
Add in another 37 to 43 inches of snow Thursday night, and additional amounts ranging from 21 to 35 inches every 12 hours through Saturday night, plus a light dusting of 11 to 17 inches on Sunday...
...and you get a storm total of 176 inches. On the low end.
Add up the high end of the numbers and you get a forecast maximum of 218 inches of snow in four days!
How would that kind of four-day snow total stack up? Consider these major all-time snowfall records that would be broken with a 200-inch snowfall:
- According to Weather Underground, the world record for a single snowstorm is 189 inches in six days -- guess where? Mount Shasta Ski Bowl in February 1959.
- The National Climatic Data Center says California's heaviest four-day snowstorm was 145 inches at the Sierra-at-Tahoe Ski Resort near Echo Summit in March-April 1982.
- The U.S. four-day snow record is 163 inches at Thompson Pass, Alaska, in December 1955.
If those numbers seem a little too hard to wrap your mind around, consider this:
- The snowiest season on record in snowy Syracuse, N.Y., only yielded 192.1 inches of snow in 1992-93.
- If the tallest living player in NBA history, Gheorghe Muresan, were to balance a life-size wax statue of himself on his head, two feet of snow would bury the top of the statue.
- The minimum clearance for an interstate overpass in rural areas is 16 feet. A 218-inch snow depth would cover the highway up to the bottom of the overpass, with 26 inches of snow on top of that.
Of course, if official records are to be broken, this extreme snow will have to fall at a location where someone can measure it. Today's Mount Shasta Ski Park tops out just above 6,500 feet in elevation, much lower than the old Ski Bowl was in 1959, and with this storm carrying so much warm air, snowfall amounts are likely to drop tremendously by the time you get down to that elevation.
Nobody lives on Mount Shasta's summit, and we hope nobody is foolish enough to climb the 14,179-foot mountain for a few days, so we may never know exactly how much snow this storm ends up dumping.
For the surrounding terrain, which is nearly 10,000 feet lower than the summit, this will be a massive rain storm with the potential for over a foot of rain.
and.....
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/28/5014591/river-of-storms-headed-for-northern.html
River of storms headed for Northern California
Published: Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 - 1:52 pm
It's shaping up as California's equivalent of a hurricane: A series of warm, wet storms arriving today that will be unlike anything the state has seen in years.
By Sunday, weather experts say Sacramento could see 4 to 8 inches of rain, and the mountains of the Northern Sierra Nevada and Shasta regions could be deluged with 12 to 18 inches of rainfall.
If this comes to pass, Sacramento could receive more rain in a few days than it gets in an average January, typically the wettest month of the year.
The culprit is a weather phenomenon called an "atmospheric river," which channels tropical moisture all the way across the Pacific Ocean like a fire hose. Sometimes called a "pineapple express," these storms are viewed by weather experts as California's equivalent of a hurricane.
Forecasters have "high confidence" in the timing and intensity of the storms. There is less certainty about where the fire hose will focus its wrath. Forecasts on Tuesday targeted Mount Shastaand the Northern Sierra, but that could change, said Rob Hartman, the hydrologist in charge of the California-Nevada River Forecast Center, a branch of the National Weather Service.
"It is kind of like when you turn your hose on in the front lawn without staking the end down. It kinda hops around a little bit," Hartman said. "It could come a little bit further south. But there is a lot of moisture out there, and it's coming our way."
The first storm arrives today and lasts through Thursday. It is expected to be relatively mild.
The second hits Friday and will be the real soaker, lasting through Sunday with drenching rain and strong winds. A third, even wetter storm, may follow later on Sunday.
Sacramento could see sustained winds of 35 mph with gusts to 45 mph. The Sierra Nevada foothills could see gusts up to 55 mph.
These are warm storms and snow levels will be high – 7,000 feet and up. That means many Sierra highway passes could stay free of snow. But it also means more terrain will be exposed to rainfall runoff.
Atmospheric rivers form very differently from hurricanes, but the rainfall intensity can cause damage on the same scale.
"There is potential for one of the longer-lived atmospheric river events that we've seen in the last 10 years or so," said Marty Ralph, an expert on the phenomenon at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo.
"These are the types of events that are responsible for the biggest flood damages on the West Coast," he said. "To me, that's the analogue to the hurricane problem."
Forecasters say the second storm will plant its bull's-eye on Shasta, Tehama, Butte and Plumas counties, with lesser rainfall amounts farther south. This is worrisome, because these counties experienced large forest fires over the summer that now create a significant erosion and mudslide risk.
Of particular concern is the Battle Creek watershed in Shasta and Tehama counties, where the Ponderosa fire burned more than 27,000 acres in August.
Battle Creek is the focus of a $128 million salmon restoration project, still under way, funded by state and federal agencies. Heavy erosion in the watershed could damage habitat vital to the project's success.
"We are very concerned about that," said Lt. Mark Lillibridge, coordinator of the Shasta CountyOffice of Emergency Services. "We're going to get hammered, it looks like."
Lillibridge said Shasta County will make sandbags available to residents. It also has swift-water rescue crews and a 300-member volunteer patrol on standby to assist in the storm.
In Sacramento, one of the capital region's premier sporting events, the 30th annual California International Marathon, is expected to go ahead on Sunday despite the weather. Organizers say the race has never been canceled.
More than 15,000 people are expected at the 26.2-mile race, which starts at 7 a.m. Sunday near the base of Folsom Dam. It follows Fair Oaks Boulevard and finishes in front of the state Capitol in downtown Sacramento.
"Runners are hardy," race spokesman John Schumacher said. "They'll be ready."
None of the Sacramento Valley's major rivers is expected to see flooding problems.
The Sacramento River is predicted to spill into the Sutter Bypass on Saturday – a normal event in stormy weather. The Yolo Bypass downstream, between Sacramento and Davis, is not expected to flood.
On the other hand, many local creeks may experience flooding, and residents are advised to be ready.
Sacramento County officials urged people who live near creeks in flood-prone areas to have sandbags on hand in case creeks overflow their banks.
"If you live near a creek that has flooded in the past, I would always have sandbags on hand. It doesn't take that many to protect a doorway," county water resources spokeswoman Diane Margetts said.
Residents of unincorporated Sacramento County who experience neighborhood flooding can call the county at (916) 875-7246 for help.
Neighborhood flooding is also likely to become a significant problem because the region's urban tree canopy is in the thick of leaf-fall season. This means streets and storm drains are at high risk of clogging.
Sacramento city and county officials urged people to clean leaves and other debris from aroundstorm drains in their neighborhoods, and to monitor those drains during the unfolding storms.
"The biggest flooding problem this week is going to be plugged storm drains, especially with all the leaves," said Margetts. "People don't realize plugged storm drains are going to cause flooding. It can easily get into your garage or into your house."
The city of Sacramento has assigned on-call crews to assist with downed trees, clogged drains and flooded streets. City residents can call 311 to have a crew dispatched to assist with street flooding.
High winds and soaked ground raise the potential for downed trees and power outages. Residents should be ready with flashlights, extra batteries, food and water, a battery-powered radio and an alternate means of charging cellphones.
They should also secure outdoor furniture and other objects to prevent them from becoming dangerous projectiles.
and........
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2239646/UK-flood-warnings-Families-flee-condemned-houses-huge-clean-operation-begins.html
Families flee condemned terraced houses after deluge causes landslide as Britain begins huge flood clean-up operation
- Five homes in Whitby will be demolished over the next 24 hours after gardens fell away threatening foundations
- Residents given just 48 hours to move essential items out of their houses
- Pensioner, 91, killed in flooding in St Asaph, North Wales, today named as Margaret Hughes
- Number of flood warnings across the rest of the country expected to fall throughout today
- Environment Agency: 'We are over the worst in terms of flooding'
- Pumps continue to remove water from behind St Asaph flood defences
- Dry weather expected throughout today across the UK
- Localised flooding expected along Trent, Severn and Thames rivers
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2239556/UK-weather-forecast-Britain-faces-coldest-winter-100-years-Big-Freeze-follows-flood.html
MINUS 20C? Britain faces coldest winter for 100 years as Big Freeze follows floods with wind so strong it blows water upwards
- Temperatures to plummet to minus 3°C this week and could fall as low as 20°C in December
- Fears that snow blizzards could close roads and shut down rail networks as winter takes hold
- But torrential rain which has deluged country and swamped St Asaph in North Wales will finally ease
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Britain will shiver tonight as temperatures plummet in the first taste of what promises to be one of our coldest winters for a century.
The cold snap is expected to last until the end of the week, creating dangerous conditions on the roads and adding to the misery of those already battling floods.
Temperatures could fall to as low as minus 3°c (27°f) in some places, with snow already falling in the Pennines. In Saltburn, North Yorkshire, northerly winds have become so strong that they are pushing water back up a cliff.
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