Good afternoon everybody, here is a comprehensive update on the storms hammering northeastern California at the moment.
Let’s begin with storm totals from our resident meteorological expert, Dr. Owen Bateson.
According to Bateson the first round of storms brought us up to 8.08 inches of precipitation for the year. That is 154%of average, with more wet powerful storms set to pound us over the next 36 hours.
In November alone Bateson recorded 7.16 inches of rain, or 241% above average for the month.
The National Weather Service has been gathering information from the first storm:
- At around 7:00p.m. Thursday night a RAWS wind sensor near Doyle at an elevation of 4320 ft recorded a wind gust of 66 mph.
- At 6:33a.m. Friday morning a trained Weather Service observer 4 miles ssw of Susanville reported receiving 2.68 inches of rain since 3:00p.m. yesterday.
- In Janesville a trained spotter recorded 3.00 inches in the 24 hour period ending at 8:00a.m.
- Up at Eagle Lake, elevation 5,100 a weather spotter reported 1.75 inches of precipitation since 7:00p.m. Thursday.
Flood Warning
The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a Flood Warning for the Susan River from Sunday morning to Monday afternoon… or until the warning is cancelled.
At 9:00a.m. this morning the Susan River at Lassen Street was at 9.0 feet. Flood stage for the river is at 12.0 feet.
Moderate flooding is forecast. The National Weather Service expects the water to rise above flood stage by Sunday morning and continue to rise to near 13.0 feet by late Sunday morning. The river will fall back below flood stage by Sunday evening.
At 13.0 feet moderate flooding is expected in Susanville from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive. Some homes along the river will be moderately affected, especially on Carroll Street.
That level would also produce what the NWS calls ‘significant lowland flooding’ below Susanville in the Johnstonville, Leavitt Lake, Standish and Litchfield areas. Rural roads and bridges in these areas can potentially flood.
Flood Preparedness
Office of Emergency Services Chief David Junette warns that area residents can expect possible wide-spread power outages and flooding over the next several days and recommends that residents should have the following items available in the event of an emergency:
- Three days of food and water for each family member
- Medications for at least seven days
- First aid kit
- Flashlights with extra batteries
- Battery operated radio
- Have at least 3/4 of a tank of fuel in your vehicle
72 Hour Forecast
Today Overcast with rain. High of 45. Windy. Winds from the SSW at 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 65 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
Friday Night Overcast with rain. Low of 39. Windy. Winds from the SSW at 25 to 30 mph with gusts to 65 mph. Chance of rain 100% with rainfall amounts near 0.6 in. possible.
Saturday Overcast with rain. High of 43. Windy. Winds from the SSW at 25 to 30 mph with gusts to 65 mph. Chance of rain 100% with rainfall amounts near 0.7 in. possible.
Saturday Night Overcast with rain. Low of 36. Windy. Winds from the SSW at 25 to 30 mph with gusts to 75 mph. Chance of rain 100% with rainfall amounts near 2.0 in. possible.
Sunday Overcast with rain, then snow and a chance of rain in the afternoon. Fog early. High of 45. Windy. Winds from the SSW at 30 to 35 mph with gusts to 75 mph. Chance of precipitation 100%.
Power Concerns
Theresa Phillips, Energy Services Manager at Lassen Municipal Utility District is reminding the utility’s customers that they should be prepared for weather related outages.
If you do experience an outage please contact the power company at 257.4174. LMUD crews are on stand-by and the phones are always manned.
Here are links for more information:
On the home page at SusanvilleStuff we have up to the minute levels from the Susan River, plus satellite views and live traffic cameras from around the northstate.
For more in-depth weather coverage you can visit our sister site www.lassenweathernetwork.com
For additional emergency preparedness information go to www.calema.ca.gov or www.ready.gov.
For the latest weather updates visit www.weather.gov
