California flooding: More storms forecast for weekend as experts warn heavy rain won’t fix drought

How bad is the damage on the ground in California after weeks of storms?

According to the National Weather Service, a total of 955 flood, flash flood, or debris flow reports were logged since 26 December.

The damage was concentrated around the San Francisco Bay Area, Central Valley, Central Coast, and Sierras regions, while the drier south and forested far north were spared the worst.

Here’s something you don’t see every day: tornadoes in California.

On Tuesday, a twister blowing 90 mph winds touched down in Calaveras County, KCRA reports, knocking down trees and buildings in the state’s San Joaquin Valley region.

An estimated 57,000 people in California remain without power, and more than half of the state’s 58 counties have been declared disaster areas, according to Newsweek.

Within specific towns, the damage has been shocking.

In Merced County, more than 100 cars were ruined due to flooding. the magazine reports.

The recent storms pounding California are going to leave behind more than just downed trees and flooded neighbourhoods.

There’s also going to be a massive bill for the clean-up and economic recovery of the state.

The weather has likely caused $30 to $34bln worth of damage across the state, according to AccuWeather Inc, Bloomberg reports.

California governor Gavin Newsom says there’s a major takeaway from the recent round of bruising storms: the climate crisis is here.

“Megadroughts. Wildfires. Historic floods and atmospheric rivers. This whiplash weather is not an anomaly,” the governor wrote on Tuesday on Twitter after a visit to hard-hit Capitola. “California is proof that the climate crisis is real and we have to take it seriously.”

Of course, recognising the climate crisis and fighting it are two different thing.

Also on Tuesday, Mr Newsrom proposed eliminating $6bln in climate funding from the state’s proposed budget, a means, he argued, to address a projected $22.5bln shortfall.

Environmentalists criticised the proposal.

“We recognize the financial situation, but this is exactly what we’ve been nervous about,” Mike Young, political and organizing director at California Environmental Voters, an advocacy group, told Cal Matters. “We actually need to be investing and defending more of our climate investments and really pushing for that. We can’t get out of our situation if we’re going backwards.”

Parts of California have received over half their annual rainfall in the past two weeks as the state continues to be bombarded by heavy downpours, howling winds, and snow.

A relentless parade of atmospheric rivers has drenched chunks of the state from the ritzy coastal enclaves on the fringes of Los Angeles to northern wine country and mountain passes.

A staggering 955 flood, flash flood, or mudslides have been reported to local offices of the National Weather Service, the agency reported on Wednesday.

At least 17 people have died in incidents linked to the extreme weather. A female driver who called 911 saying she had been caught in floodwaters was found dead a day later inside the submerged vehicle, AP reported.

Louise Boyle has the all the details.

Officials are still searching for Kyle Doan, a 5-year-old who was swept out of his mother’s hands in Paso Robles, amid heavy rains.

On Monday, Doan and his mother were driving when flood waters dragged their SUV off the road and into a tree.

The child’s mother was able to exit the vehicle with Kyle in her arms, but he was soon carried away in rushing water.

“My wife feels awful because she would have rather they saved him, but she was the closest one they could get to,” his father, Brian Doan, told the New York Times. “They did what they could.”

“My wife told me that my son said, ‘Don’t worry, Mommy,’” Mr Doan added.

Here’s our report on the search for Kyle Doan.

They’re huge, fire-resistant, and can live for thousands of years, but even California’s redwoods can’t survive everything.

As storms and heavy rains pummel the state, some of California’s iconic redwoods have fallen during the process.

In case you were considering a rainy ramble through the woods to take in the sights, don’t, warns the National Parks Service.

They’ve been posting consistent updates from Redwood State and National Park, showing large-scale tree collapses around the park.

Californians won’t be getting a break from the heavy weather this week.

According to the National Weather Service, “heavy rain” is expected along the Northern California coast through Thursday, with the storms shifting eastward the following day.

Meanwhile, “heavy mountain snow” will remain a risk at high elevations on Friday and Saturday.

Thanks to “saturated conditions,” flooding will continue into next week.

Authorities are still searching for Kyle Doan, a five-year-old who was swept from his mother’s arms on Monday amid rising flood waters in California near the two of Paso Robles.

The boy went missing on Monday, when his mother, Lindsy Doan, was driving the kindergartener to Lillian Larsen Elementary School, where Ms Doan also works as a special education teacher.

Her route took her through the intersection of San Marcos Road and Wellsona Road, near a creek swollen with flood waters, the Los Angeles Times reports. The family said the intersection wasn’t properly marked for nearby hazards, and fast-moving waters swept the Doans’ car into a nearby tree.

Brain Doan, Lindsey’s husband, told the paper his wife unbuckled their son and the pair climbed out of the sinking car.

“He was calm. He was trying to say, ‘Stay calm, Mom,” he said. “She was doing her best.”

More details in our full story.