- On Wednesday night, California’s Russian River — which winds its way through Napa Valley — rose to its highest point in 25 years.
- This is the most severe flood in the area since 1995. Thousands of homes and businesses have been damaged by the water.
- The water cut off access to the towns of Monte Rio and Guerneville. The Sonoma County sheriff’s office called Guerneville "an island", warning that residents could not "get into or out of town without a boat."
- The National Weather Service has extended flood warnings for Sonoma County until 1:45pm PT on Thursday.
In parts of California wine country, 8 feet of floodwaters have inundated homes and vineyards over the last 24 hours.
While the towns of Sonoma County are no strangers to flooding, record-breaking torrential rainfall this week caused the Russian River and its tributaries to inundate the area with the worst floods since 1995.
"A slow-moving storm is moving into the West Coast from the Pacific, which has been the cause of very heavy rainfall that has occurred over northern and central California," Accuweather meteorologist Frank Strait reported.
Parts of Sonoma County received more than 20 inches of rain, and the National Weather Service reported that Santa Rosa broke the 100-year rainfall record by more than 3 inches with a whopping 5.66 inches in 24 hours.
The rainfall caused the Russian River to crest to more than 45 feet — 14 feet over the flood mark — on Wednesday evening, causing further damage to local homes and businesses.
Hundreds of roads across the county shut down, and the rains also caused numerous mudslides in the area.
Guerneville and Monte Rio, two towns about 80 miles northwest of Sacramento, were disconnected from surrounding areas by up to 8 feet of water. Local sheriff departments declared Guerneville "an island" and warned that it was accessible only by boat.
Flood warnings are in effect through Thursday afternoon, but the National Weather Service expects waters to recede throughout the day. More rain is expected later this week, though.
Here’s what the Sonoma County flooding looks like on the ground.
Under normal circumstances, Guerneville is a popular getaway destination for Bay Area residents.
MARELBU/Wikimedia Commons
But the town is vulnerable to floods given its proximity to the Russian River.
When torrential rains batter the heart of Sonoma County, the Russian River exceeds its normal height, overflowing into nearby Guerneville.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/Wikimedia Commons
The worst flood ever recorded there happened in 1986, when the river crested to 49.5 feet, roughly 18 feet above the flood mark.
When the river overflows, it can shut down roads and bridges, cutting off access to some areas.
Robert Galbraith/Reuters
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- Scientists are warning of a California mega-storm that could cause twice as much damage as the next big earthquake
- Grand Canyon National Park turned 100 today. Photos show its stunning history and evolution.
- I went to Joshua Tree after the government shutdown. Even though it looked picture-perfect, it could actually take the park 300 years to recover from the damage.
Source: Business Insider – awoodward@businessinsider.com (Aylin Woodward)