The third body was found in a vehicle that was submerged in water, said Sgt. Two more bodies were found Wednesday after flooding in a rural part of south Sacramento County, authorities said, bringing the death toll from the atmospheric river storm on New Year's Eve to three. Flood-related deaths confirmed in Sacramento motorists rescued There were no deaths but the twister damaged more than 50 homes. A possible tornado touched down near Montgomery, Alabama, early Wednesday.

Meanwhile, California wasn't the only place facing severe weather on Wednesday. Forecasters are watching other systems out at sea that could also hit the region with more precipitation. Wednesday's storm was expected to knock down trees, cause widespread flooding, wash out roads, cause hillsides to collapse, slow airports and potentially lead to the 'loss of human life,' the National Weather Service said.īut officials warn even then the danger isn't over. Severe weather could drop 10 or more inches of rain in some parts of Northern California over the next week, forecasters say. 'The rain won't be done until Thursday afternoon or early evening.' 'All told it's about a 30-hour event from start to finish,' said Rick Canepa, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's San Francisco office. The storm is termed a ' bomb cyclone' because it is expected to be marked by a quick drop in atmospheric pressure resulting in a high-intensity storm. If the power goes out, having access to timely information about the storm – and something to watch – will be useful, she said. 'If you've still got power, it's a good idea to charge your cellphone, computers and tablets now while you can,' said National Weather Service meteorologist Cynthia Palmer in the agency's San Francisco area office. GRAPHICS: 'Rivers in the sky': Graphics show atmospheric river soaking California's Bay Area Gavin Newsom authorized state National Guard units to support disaster response as a massive storm pummeled much of the state's coastline.įire and rescue equipment and personnel have been prepositioned in areas deemed most likely to experience severe flooding and mudflows. In Southern California, the storm was expected to peak in intensity overnight into early Thursday morning with Santa Barbara and Ventura counties likely to see the most rain, forecasters said. The storm was expected to dump up to 6 inches of rain in parts of the San Francisco Bay Area where most of the region would remain under flood warnings into late Thursday night. SAN FRANCISCO – California declared a state of emergency Wednesday as a powerful storm generated 45-foot waves out at sea, dropped soaking rain on already saturated ground, and prompted warnings of floods and mudslides, knocking out power to more than 100,000 people. Looking for updates on California storms? Follow our latest coverage here.

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