Storm inundates Northern California with rain, heavy snow. Thousands remain in the dark in Seattle

HEALDSBURG, Calif. (AP) — Heavy downpours fell over much of Northern California on Friday, causing small landslides, overflowing a river and flooding some streets, including in parts of San Francisco. Meanwhile tens of thousands of people were still without power in the Seattle area after several days in the dark.

The storm arrived in the Pacific Northwest earlier this week, killing two people and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands, mostly in the Seattle area, before moving through Northern California, where several roads were closed due to flooding and strong winds toppled trees.

Forecasters warned about the risk of flash flooding and rockslides in areas north of San Francisco from this season’s strongest atmospheric river — a long plume of moisture that forms over an ocean and flows through the sky over land.

On the East Coast, another storm brought much-needed rain to New York and New Jersey, where rare wildfires have raged in recent weeks. The rain eased the fire danger for the rest of the year and was a boost for ski resorts preparing to open in the weeks ahead. Parts of West Virginia were under a blizzard warning through Saturday morning, with up to 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow and high winds making travel treacherous.

In California’s Humboldt County, the sheriff’s office downgraded evacuation orders to warnings for people near the Eel River after forecasters said the waterway would see moderate but not major flooding. Officials urged residents to prepare for storm impacts throughout the week.

Firefighters walk through floodwaters while responding to a rescue call in unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Flooding closed scenic Highway 1, also known as the Pacific Coast Highway, in neighboring Mendocino County north of Point Arena near the Garcia River, and there was no estimate for when it would reopen, according to the California Department of Transportation.

Santa Rosa saw its wettest three-day period on record with about 12.5 inches (32 centimeters) of rain, according to the National Weather Service in the Bay Area.

A small mudslide threatened a home in the community of Fitch Mountain, near Healdsburg, nestled in hills along the Russian River in Sonoma County. Moderate rain was falling, and officials worried the slide could grow and hit several homes downhill.

“Our concern is while this property may be OK, the earth between it and the road below is slipping, and the mudslide is affecting downhill properties,” said Tennis Wick, permits and resource director for Sonoma County.

Dana Eaton, who lives in one of the downhill properties and was clad in a yellow rain slicker and hat, said she was worried, too. In 2019, mud cascaded into a neighbor’s garage.

Property off River Road floods as the Russian River overflows in Sonoma County, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Asked what the last few days have been like, she laughed: “Wet. Constant rain. It’s like everywhere else in the county, but so far nothing major, just concerns.”

In Washington state nearly 117,000 people were still without electricity, mostly in the Seattle area’s King County, as crews worked to clear streets of downed lines, branches and other debris. Utility officials said the outages, which began Tuesday, could last into Saturday.

People flocked to a suburban senior center in Issaquah to get warm food and plug in their cellphones and other devices. One of them, Melissa Tryon, said she had been unable to charge her electric motorized wheelchair and had to throw out all the food in her refrigerator after it went bad.

“Today I kind of had a little bit of a meltdown,” Tyron said. “It’s hard to be cut off for that long.”

Gale warnings were issued off Washington, Oregon and California, and high wind warnings were in effect across parts of Northern California and Oregon. There were winter storm warnings for parts of the California Cascades and the Sierra Nevada.

A person uses an umbrella while crossing a street in the Meatpacking District neighborhood of Manhattan, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

The National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada, reported a 128-mph (206-kph) gust of wind in the morning at the top of Palisades Tahoe ski resort, about 10 miles northwest of Lake Tahoe, where some runs were open. Gusts up to 86 mph (138 kph) were recorded at Mt. Rose, which closed due to the weather.

The system roared ashore on the West Coast on Tuesday as a “ bomb cyclone,” which occurs when a cyclone intensifies rapidly. It unleashed fierce winds that toppled trees onto roads, vehicles and homes.

Debra Campbell, 65, said she was sitting in the dark with a flashlight that night, unable to sleep as strong winds lashed her house in Crescent City, California. With a massive boom, a 150-foot (46-meter) tree came crashing down on her home and car.

“It was just so incredibly frightening,” Campbell said. “Once I realized it wasn’t going to come through the ceiling where I was at, I was able to grab my car keys and my purse. … And I open the front door and it’s just solid tree.”

She was able to stay with her boyfriend that night, but now, living on Social Security and with no savings, she worries about how she will to pay for repairs.

Leticia Lezama sits in her disabled car as Gabe Sitton works to rescue her from floodwaters on Slusser Rd. as heavy rains fall in Windsor, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Officials warned of the risk of flash flooding, rockslides and debris flows, especially where hillsides were loosened by recent wildfires.

In the Northeast, which has been hit by drought, more than 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain was expected by Saturday morning north of New York City, with snow mixed in at higher elevations.

Despite the mess, the precipitation was expected to help ease drought conditions in a state that has seen an exceptionally dry fall.

“It’s not going to be a drought buster, but it’s definitely going to help when all this melts,” said Bryan Greenblatt, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Binghamton, New York.

Heavy snow fell in northeastern Pennsylvania, including the Pocono Mountains, prompting a raft of school closures. Higher elevations reported up to 17 inches (43 centimeters), with lesser accumulations in valley cities like Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. More than 92,000 customers in 10 counties lost power, and the state transportation department imposed speed restrictions on some highways.

People gather to charge their electronic devices, keep warm and eat snacks at a senior center in Issaquah, Wash., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, after a high winds from a storm knocked out power. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)

Gary Wilson, 37, of Dunmore, Pennsylvania, was heading to his casino job in the Poconos in the morning when he got stuck in standstill traffic, a consequence of accidents and downed wires. At one point he worried about getting stranded because it was snowing hard and plows couldn’t get through. Traffic began moving again only after about five hours, and Wilson never did make it to work.

“I’m done for the day,” Wilson said. “Five and a half hours in the car, turn around and get home safe.”

People gather to charge their electronics at a charging station set up at the Issaquah Senior Center in Issaquah, Wash., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
Damage is seen after a tree crashed through a home and fence during a bomb cyclone storm system in Sammamish, Wash., on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Jason Skipper via AP)
A pick-up truck drives through floodwaters as heavy rains fall in Windsor, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Residents work to shore up a mudslide as heavy rains fall near Healdsburg in unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Livestock graze on a patch field not flooded by the swollen Eel River in Ferndale, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Livestock graze on a patch field not flooded by the swollen Eel River in Ferndale, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A Mission District resident attempts to unclog a few storm drains on a flooded street as a driverless Waymo taxi passes in the background, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)
Skiers ride a lift to the slopes after a fresh snowfall at the Palisades Tahoe Ski Resort in Olympic Valley, Calif. for opening day of the ski season on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)
A driver, left, waits for his truck to be removed from an accident site after sliding into a hillside during snow showers, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, near Quinwood, W.Va. (Jenny Harnish/The Register-Herald via AP)
A man looks at a tree that fell on power lines during a major storm in Issaquah, Wash., on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
A firefighter returns to his truck among flooded vineyards as heavy rains continue in Windsor, Calif., Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (Photo by Noah Berger)
Wohler Road off River Road is closed off as the Russian River floods in Sonoma County, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

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Rodriguez reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writers Hallie Golden in Seattle, Janie Har in San Francisco, Manuel Valdes in Issaquah, Washington, Sarah Brumfield in Washington, D.C., Michael Rubinkam in Pennsylvania and John Raby in West Virginia contributed.

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