A Pacific storm is sweeping through California, providing the drought-stricken state with a brief respite from its arid conditions but triggering fears of mudslides and floods.
The downpour, however, will put a minor dent in the three-year drought and comes with mudslide evacuations, traffic hazards and concerns that it could give a misleading impression of the state’s water conditions.
The Los Angeles region could experience its heaviest rainfall in two years. The National Weather Service predicted that up to six inches could fall in the southern part of the state by the end of Wednesday.
Authorities on Tuesday issued a mandatory evacuation for 75 homes in Camarillo Springs, about 50 miles north of Los Angeles. The order was lifted at 6pm, though people were urged to voluntarily stay out of their homes. Voluntary evacuation notices were also issued to dozens of other homes in southern California.
San Francisco’s famed cable cars had to shut down during the downpour. The California highway patrol reported an increase in traffic hazards and a large number of car crashes in the Bay Area. Many flights in the region were delayed because of the rain.
Sacramento received 0.53 inches of rain on Tuesday, and was due for another half-inch into Wednesday. Over the next few days, more than four inches of rain are expected in the mountainous parts of the state.
Flash-flood warnings were issued to in parts of El Dorado and Placer counties because of the quick pace of the rain storm. These regions were beset by the King Fire, which covered more than 150 square miles and brought in firefighters from other states including Alaska and Florida. The state has launched projects to fight erosion of the devastated land.
Some are concerned that the strong rainfall could cause residents who are conserving water to see it as a less immediate need. Mark W Cowin, the director of the California department of water resources, emphasized the need to still conserve water.
“If we could get one message out, it would be that nobody needs to be watering their landscapes this December,” Cowin told the New York Times. “Go turn off your sprinklers.”
Efforts to reduce water use in the state weakened for the second month in a row, the state water resources control board said on Tuesday. Governor Jerry Brown set a goal of a 20% reduction in water use in January. In October, water use was down by only 6.7%.
Water savings were strongest in the northern part of the state, with the exception of a sliver of land near the Nevada border in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Snowpack in the mountain range, which provides most of the state’s water, was at 24% of its normal amount this year.
