California hammered by strong storm, at least 2 dead
Severe weather threw a wrench in travel, sent trees falling on cars
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rain and snow continued in parts of California on Wednesday following a shockingly strong storm that slammed the state on Tuesday and was blamed for at least two deaths.
In southern California, the National Weather Service in Los Angeles reported hail and said that a survey team would head to the Carpinteria area to assess the damage to a mobile home park and determine if the cause was from a possible evening landspout tornado. A tornado warning had been issued for Point Mugu due to a severe thunderstorm, but there was no evidence a tornado touched down there, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
Five daily rainfall records were broken in the region.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The agency's Sacramento office tweeted that showers would linger on Wednesday, and the U.C. Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab said 3.5 inches of snow had been accumulated over the last 24-hour period, with more on the way.
FIRST DAY OF SPRING BRINGS NEW ROUND OF RAIN, SNOW TOP CALIFORNIA
A vehicle drives past fallen trees along Big Basin Way during the latest atmospheric storm event in Boulder Creek, California, on March 21, 2023. ((Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP))
In the San Francisco Bay Area, flood advisories extended into Wednesday afternoon.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}While the agency had initially warned that most precipitation from California's 12th atmospheric river event would drench southern California, the storm blasted the San Francisco Bay Area with flooding, powerful winds and downpours.
A surfer rides his board at Cowell Beach during the latest atmospheric storm event in Santa Cruz, California, on March 21, 2023. ((Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP))
Peak gusts exceeded 70 mph in higher terrain and around the immediate Bay Area and numerous trees were downed.
Hundreds of thousands of customers were without power for hours on Tuesday. Outage tracker PowerOutage.US showed more than 100,000 customers still affected by outages on Wednesday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Street and creek flooding and shallow landslides were observed following the area of low pressure. The greatest rainfall totals were in the Santa Cruz Mountains and in the North Bay.
Amber Balog surveys the damage to a friend's vehicle, on March 21, 2023, after a saturated and wind-blown limb fell on Monte Verde Drive in Santa Rosa, California. No one was injured. ((Kent Porter/The Press Democrat via AP))
Windows were blown out from San Francisco high rises, with falling glass captured on social media. A couch was reportedly also blown off a rooftop.
WATER RESCUES: SEE HOW THESE DOGS WERE SAVED FROM DEATH BY QUICK AND HEROIC ACTIONS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ferry service was disrupted due to rough conditions and three barges got loose and damaged a bridge.
A big rig blocked eastbound lanes on the Bay Bridge, snarling traffic for hours. A downed power line closed ramps to State Route 84.
High winds create large waves along The Embarcadero near Pier 14 between Mission Street and Howard Street in San Francisco on March 21, 2023. ((Salgu Wissmath/San Francisco Chronicle via AP))
An Amtrak train carrying 55 passengers struck a tree that had fallen and derailed near Porta Costa. Nobody was injured, according to the California Highway Patrol in Hayward.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Helena Zappelli surveys the damage to her yard and vehicle after a large tree fell over, on March 21, 2023, on Humboldt Street in Santa Rosa, California, during another storm to wallop the state. ((Kent Porter/The Press Democrat via AP))
In Portola Valley, a man driving a sewer truck was killed when a tree fell onto the vehicle. In Rossmoor, a driver was injured and a passenger died after a large tree also fell on their vehicle.
A tree downed by high winds blocks Webster Street in Oakland, California, on March 21, 2023. ((AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez))
The severe weather conditions were caused by an extraordinary drop in barometric pressure over the eastern Pacific that meteorologists described as "explosive cyclogenesis."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Even by the standards of what has turned out to be one of our most extraordinary winter seasons in a very long time, yesterday ... stands out," the Bay Area office wrote.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.