Northern California’s Record Setting January Storms Have Given Us An Insane Winter
Are you finally thawing out and drying off after this crazy January? There were several major storms that blew us away this winter… literally! In the mountains, we saw record breaking snowfall for the month of January, and in the lower elevations flooding, power outages, and transportation delays really started taking their toll on Northern Californians. Here are some crazy images and videos of what folks had to deal with here in Northern California this month.
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Northern California was blasted with a series of storms this month. We barely had time to recover from the last one before the next one came rolling in. Meteorologists called the weather fronts that were pointing straight at us "atmospheric rivers."
This photo from January 11th was taken in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It is after extreme snows and heavy rains in the region. Flooding was a very scary and very real consequence of these storms.
In the higher elevations, heavy snowfall the first week of January was followed by 10 inches of rain. This shot from January 8th shows extreme flooding on Highway 80.
Mudslides were also a hazard in many places over the last month. This image from January 9th shows an impassable section of State Route 49 north of Downieville. Only emergency vehicles and residents were allowed in this area.
The Grass Valley CHP were frequently releasing statements like this: " "The roads continued to be challenging throughout the weekend. Between rain, wind, snow, and more mud/rock-slides, we've all been busy. Please continue to drive safely as sporadic snow showers will be passing through the region through tonight."
It's only thanks to CHP, CalTrans, and other public servants that the rest of us were able to live our daily lives at all. Thanks for keeping us safe out there!
The incredible floods were followed by heavy snows in the Sierra. People were told to avoid all travel if necessary and to prepare for power outages and long periods of being unable to travel to the grocery store or gas stations.
The snow drifts were out of this world. Many people might be shocked to know that it can snow so much in what most of the country thinks of as a tropical beach state. In the Tahoe area, the records for January snowfall were broken.
Our reservoirs definitely needed the water. Northern California is now coming slowly out of a 5 year drought, but that's no reason to stop conserving water as the seasons change. You never know what weather next season will bring, so let's try to same some more water for next year just in case!
Similarly, we might not be done with our winter weather. Predictions report more storms moving in the first week of February, but it's still up in the air how intense they will be!
In addition to these incredible photos, Northern Californians also took several videos of the different but always extreme weather that this series of storms brought. Here’s a great overview:
And we can’t forget to mention the Pioneer Cabin Tree, a iconic Northern California landmark that was a casualty of this weather:
Here’s an impressive drone video of a reservoir near Sacramento. So much water!
And then, of course, the treacherous flooding:
Even Yosemite National Park was hit hard by the storms:
I hope you all stayed safe and warm during this outrageous weather!
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Jill is a freelance writer from a small Northern California town and lives in the Sierra Nevada mountains. If you have an idea for an Only In Northern California story, email her at jsanford@onlyinyourstate.com.
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