More extreme weather is forecasted for California this week, with a “relentless parade of cyclones” set to pummel the US state, the National Weather Service said, adding to the miserable stretch of deadly weather the state has already endured.
At least 18 people are confirmed to have been killed in the storms.
A five-year-old boy who was swept away by floodwaters in San Luis Obispo County on Monday morning was still missing as of Thursday. The Sacramento Sheriff's Office said National Guard troops would assist in search efforts.
Kyle Doan was being driven by his mother to school when their car was overwhelmed by floodwaters. Bystanders managed to rescue Lindsay Doan, his mother, but the boy was swept away.
“We will search until we find him,” San Luis Obispo County spokesman Tony Cipolla told The San Luis Obispo Tribune.
Another atmospheric river was expected to hit parts of Northern California and the Pacific North-West through Saturday, the NWS said in a Thursday briefing. North-western California has the highest chance of being hit by excessive rainfall.
“This shift in the course of the atmospheric river is related to a change in the weather pattern across the US, allowing a ridge of high pressure to build over the western US while a rather strong low-pressure system moves swiftly through the eastern half of the country,” the NWS said.
The latest storms follow weeks of intense rainfall that has hit the state, causing flash floods and prompting concerns over potentially devastating mudslides.
Cities south of the San Francisco Bay area risk being cut off from the rest of the state because of the floodwaters.
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The Los Angeles River flows strongly during the storm on Monday in California. Getty / AFP -
California continues to be drenched by powerful storms, with high wind and heavy rain toppling trees, flooding roads and cutting power to tens of thousands of residents. Getty / AFP -
A man walks crosses the Los Angeles River in Los Angles as Californian storms continue. Getty / AFP -
A support beam is split in two, landing on a parked Ford Mach-E after a tall eucalyptus tree fell on a home in the Castro Valley. EPA -
A home and car are damaged after a pine tree toppled in San Bruno. EPA -
California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency amid the winter storms. EPA -
Workers remove branches from a tall eucalyptus tree after it fell on a home and a neighbour's carport. EPA -
A Sacramento Municipal Utility crew rushes to repair a storm-shattered power pole and hanging wires. Reuters -
A Sacramento Municipal Utility crew repairs fallen powerlines after storms in the state's capital. Reuters -
Crews race to repair more fallen powerlines. Reuters -
A resident looks at a boat caught in a tree in the Russian River in Rio Nido, California. Getty / AFP -
A flooded vineyard on Monday in Forestville, near the San Francisco Bay Area. Getty / AFP -
The pier at Capitola Wharf is split in half in the city of Aptos, California. AFP -
A huge storm called a "bomb cyclone" by meteorologists has arrived and is expected to cause flooding throughout the state. AFP -
A man assesses damage to his home in Felton. AFP -
Californians deal with flooding and mudslides on Monday as the latest in a series of powerful storms hit the state, closing schools, toppling trees and leaving tens of thousands without power. AP -
Naia Skogerson leaves her house as floodwaters rise in the Rio Del Mar neighbourhood of Aptos. AP -
Cars submerged after heavy rain moved through Windsor near San Francisco. Getty / AFP -
The San Francisco Bay Area continues to be inundated by floods that have brought high wind and heavy rain. Getty / AFP -
Storms are lined up over the Pacific and are expected to bring more rain and wind until the end of the week. Getty / AFP -
A car in the San Francisco Bay area floats by a vineyard. Getty / AFP
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office warned residents that flooding along the Salinas River could sever them from US Highways 1 and 68.
“The number of inches of rain and the intensity doesn't tell the entire story,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said in the town of Capitola on Tuesday.
“We're soaked — this place is soaked. And now just more modest amounts of precipitation could add as equal or greater impact in terms of the conditions on the ground.”
But the intense rainfall had little impact on the drought that has plagued the state. About 95 per cent of California remains in drought, down from 98 per cent last week, a report from the US Drought Monitor showed.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
