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Which California counties are under state of emergency? NWS forecast for weekend after deadly Christmas flooding
On Wednesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in six counties.
Catastrophic flooding across California during the Christmas holiday has left at least three people dead and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate, according to NBC News. Torrential rainfall triggered widespread flash flooding, inundating roads, homes, and low-lying communities across the state.
State of emergency declared
On Wednesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in six counties to "to activate emergency authorities and preposition resources to keep our communities safe."
The counties under the emergency declaration are:
Los Angeles County
Orange County
Riverside County
San Bernardino County
San Diego County
Shasta County
Latest NWS forecast
In a Friday evening update, the National Weather Service (NWS) said conditions are expected to gradually improve over the weekend, though some risks remain.
“After several days of deluge from heavy rainfall, California can expect to dry out this weekend as the last of a series of energetic low pressure systems is forecast to move pass the region. However, lingering showers and thunderstorms will continue to bring a lingering isolated storm and/or flash flooding risk through this evening,” NWS Weather Prediction said in an update.
In a separate forecast, the NWS noted that “an atmospheric river will wind down through today across California with lingering heavy rainfall, heavy mountain snow, and gusty winds. Heavy snow is also expected in the Cascades and Rockies. A wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet, and snow will cause hazardous travel conditions for the Great Lakes into the northern Mid-Atlantic and southern New England today through Saturday morning. Areas of tree damage and power outages are possible.”
California flooding death toll
NBC News reported that three people have died as a result of the flooding and storm-related impacts.
One of the victims was Sacramento County Sheriff’s Deputy James Caravallo, who was killed in a solo vehicle crash while traveling to work on Christmas Eve, according to the sheriff’s office.
In Northern California, Richard Michael Wilsey, 74, of Redding, died Sunday due to severe flooding, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office said.
In Southern California, Roberto Ruiz, a man in his 60s or 70s from San Diego, died Wednesday after a large tree branch fell on him, causing him to go into cardiac arrest, according to NBC San Diego.
