Huge storms On Friday, California walled off, killing at least two people. In Northern California, drone footage captured the extent of damage on Highway 1 near Big Sur, where a landslide caused by a atmospheric river moisture took away part of the historic roadway.
California’s transportation division, Caltrans, posted drone footage of the wash-out on Highway 1 at Rat Creek, about 25 miles south of Big Sur.
The highway had been closed along the Big Sur coastline since Tuesday, and evacuation warnings were issued in parts of Monterey County and in areas downhill from land scarred by wildfires last year.
The storms were fueled by an atmospheric river weather system that caused flooding as well as mud and debris flows, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents, CBS San Francisco reported.
Governor Gavin Newsom issued an emergency proclamation Friday for the counties of Monterey and San Luis Obispo.
The storm threw 10 feet of snow into the Sierra Mountains. A skier was found dead on Thursday at a chairlift and intersecting trails on Mammoth Mountain. The ski resort posted on Instagram that a slide was activated in an enclosed part of the mountain.
According to The Associated Press, another death was reported near the Mexican border, where seven people were trapped in a flooded rain drain.
California had experienced a period of severe to extreme drought before the storm, according to the US Drought Monitor.
In Modesto, for example, only 1.73 inches of rain had fallen between Oct. 1 and Jan. 24, according to the National weather service in Sacramento. By January 28, it had risen to 5.17 inches of rain. The normal total for the period is 6.42 inches of rain.