Rain and snow hit Northern California in the latest wave of devastating weather to hit the West Coast

SANTA ROSA, California. – A powerful storm hit Northern California on Wednesday night, heavy with rain and snow, threatening flash floods and rockslides in the latest wave of destructive weather to batter the West Coast.

The National Weather Service has extended its flood watch through Saturday for areas north of San Francisco that are the heaviest atmospheric river — the large plume of moisture coming ashore — that California and the Pacific Northwest have seen this season flooded the region. Storm system winds released the night before, two people died and hundreds of thousands were left without power in Washington state.

Up to 16 inches (about 41 centimeters) of rain were forecast in northern California and southwestern Oregon through Friday. By Wednesday evening, some areas of Northern California experienced heavy rain, including Santa Rosa, which received about 5 inches (about 13 centimeters) in 24 hours, according to Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Officials warn that dangerous flash floods, rock slides and debris flows are possible. Chenard said more than a dozen small landslides have hit Northern California in the last 24 hours, including one on Highway 281 Wednesday morning that caused a car crash.

The National Weather Service in the Bay Area warned people that the atmospheric river was concentrated in the North Bay and “expect heavy rainfall to continue tonight, Thursday through Friday.” This will cause mudslides and road closures.”

The storm system that first made landfall on Tuesday is considered “ bomb cyclone”, which happens when a cyclone rapidly intensifies.

Winter storm watches were in effect for the northern Sierra Nevada at elevations above 1,066 meters, where 15 inches (38 centimeters) of snow fell in two days. Forecasters said wind gusts could reach up to 75 miles per hour (121 km/h) in mountainous areas.

The storm had already dumped more than a foot of snow along the Cascades by Wednesday evening, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters warned of blizzards and drifting snow and near-impossible access at the pass level.

As of Wednesday evening, nearly 376,000 power outages were reported due to the previous night’s high winds and rain, according to Washington’s data. power failure.us. Falling trees hit homes and littered roads in Western Washington, killing at least two people. One woman in Lynnwood was killed when a large tree fell on a homeless encampment, and another woman in Bellevue was killed when a tree fell on a house.

More than a dozen schools were closed in the Seattle area on Wednesday, and some decided to extend their closures through Thursday.

In California, nearly 21,000 power outages were reported as of Wednesday evening.

According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, southbound Interstate 5 was closed on Wednesday morning for an 18-mile stretch from Ashland, Oregon, to the California border due to extreme winter weather conditions in northern California. The department said the closure was expected to be long-term.

At San Francisco International Airport, hundreds of flights were delayed and dozens were canceled, according to Flight Aware.

The weather service issued a flood warning for parts of southwest Oregon through Friday evening, while rough winds and seas temporarily halted ferry service in northwest Washington between Port Townsend and Coupeville.

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Golden reported from Seattle.