Biden plans California trip after deadly storms drench state

At least 20 people died due to heavy rains, which led to evacuation of tens of thousands

A view of a mudslide and damaged houses in Aptos, California. Reuters

Houses damaged by flooding in Aptos. Reuters

A snowboarder descends a mountain after one of the most significant storms of the season in Big Bear Lake. AP

More than 43 centimetres of snow fell on Big Bear over the past few days. AP

Kim Eung Hwa Korean Dance Academy pupils participate in the Kingdom Day Parade in Los Angeles, despite the bad weather. AP

A man cleans up a flood-hit house in Carmel Valley. Reuters

A child rides his off-road motorcycle around his flooded home in Brentwood. AP

A woman carries a sand bag to her flooded home in Brentwood. AP

A resident attempts to pump the water from around his home in Brentwood. AP

A man carries a child from their home in Brentwood. AP

The Russian River, swollen with floodwaters, flows past the town of Guerneville. Reuters

An eroding sea cliff behind the wharf in Capitola. AFP

Trees that were swept into the ocean by recent storms have washed ashore on the beach in Capitola. AFP

A child holds a tree trunk that was swept into the ocean by recent storms. AFP

The First World War-era concrete ship, the SS Palo Alto, formerly lying at the end of Seacliff Pier, lies sunken and deteriorating at Seacliff State Beach in Aptos. AFP

A damaged lifeguard tower on Seacliff Pier in Aptos. AFP

The Capitola Pier, built in 1857, was damaged in recent storms. AFP

Soggy Californians endured their ninth successive storm in a three-week period at the weekend. AFP

Workers clear the remains of a several hundred-year-old tree after it fell during a storm in Los Angeles. EPA

Cars damaged in the storm. EPA

California has been hit with a series of what meteorologists call atmospheric rivers, bringing heavy rain, wind and widespread flooding. EPA

A woman clears debris and helps in her neighbourhood as the San Lorenzo River rises in Felton Grove. Reuters

A building surrounded by floodwaters in Guerneville. Reuters

The parade of atmospheric rivers that pounded California for three weeks has finally faded, enabling the state to begin lengthy repairs to roads and levees, as the White House announced President Joe Biden planned to visit the state and survey the damage.

The nine consecutive storms that hit the Golden State killed at least 20 people, while tens of thousands remained under evacuation orders as of Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom said in an executive order that reinforced the state's response to storm damage.

“The last of the heavier rain in California is slowly fading,” said meteorologist David Roth of the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Centre.

Mr Biden will travel to areas of the central coast on Thursday to meet first responders, visit affected towns and “assess what additional federal support is needed”, the White House said.

The President had already issued an emergency declaration on January 8 to free up federal aid and on Saturday authorised disaster assistance for the counties of Merced, Sacramento and Santa Cruz.

Images released by media outlets and on social platforms showed extensive damage across the state. Some of the more shocking displayed the storms' effect on Highway 1, the scenic coastal motorway near Big Sur, which was closed at several points due to mudslides and falling boulders.

Damage estimates from the series of storms already top $1 billion.

A report from the NWS office for the Bay Area said more than 45 centimetres of rain have fallen on San Francisco alone since December 26.

“It's the wettest 22-day period since January 14, 1862,” it said in a tweet.

While damaging, the storms also helped mitigate a historic drought, as much of the state has already received half or more its average annual rainfall.

But with more than two months to go in the rainy season, officials are urging Californians to continue conserving water.

The US Drought Monitor still shows almost the entire state under moderate or severe drought conditions, with reservoir levels still below average for this time of year.

Moreover, the atmospheric rivers largely failed to reach the Colorado River basin, a critical source of southern California's water.

Colorado River drought — in photos

An aerial shot of a depleted reservoir on Grand Mesa outside Grand Junction, Colorado. Janie VanWinkle relies on the reservoir to feed her cattle.

An aerial view of Frank Nieslanik’s farm. On one side of the road, the fields have been irrigated. On the other, they haven’t.

Lake Granby in Colorado is part of the headwaters that feed the Colorado River.

An aerial view of Frank Nieslanik’s farm in Grand Junction, Colorado.

An aerial shot of Janie VanWinkle’s ranch shows how dry conditions have become. Down the hill, where the grass is green, shows the difference irrigation makes.

Frank Nieslanik poses next to produce grown on his farm. He’s farmed the land for 30 years and has never seen it so dry.

An aerial view of an irrigation canal on Frank Nieslanik’s farm shows the difference water makes to crops.

Farm workers sow a field at Frank Nieslanik’s farm in Grand Junction, Colorado. The Colorado River has been in a drought for 22 years, putting stress on the state’s farmers.

An aerial shot of Janie VanWinkle’s ranch outside Grand Junction, Colorado, shows how dry conditions have become.

Keith Musselman, a scientist at the University of Colorado’s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, looks out towards the continental divide.

Produce from Frank Nieslanik’s farm in Grand Junction, Colorado. The Colorado River has been in a drought for 22 years, putting stress on the state’s farmers.

A view from the top of Grand Mesa overlooking the dry Western Slope of Colorado. In July, the state’s governor declared a drought emergency.

Janie VanWinkle drives a tractor as she collects hay for her cows. The drought has meant she needs more hay than usual to keep her cattle healthy.

Snow still graces the top of a peak in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Snowpack from the mountains is vital to the health of the Colorado River, which provides water to 40 million people in the American South-West and Mexico.

An irrigation canal runs through a farm in Grand Junction, Colorado. The area is famous for its cattle and produce.

A view of Frank Nieslanik’s farm. On one side of the road, the fields have been irrigated. On the otherside, they haven’t.

Lake Granby in Colorado is part of the headwaters that feed the Colorado River.

An untapped irrigation pipe at one of the tracts of land Janie VanWinkle and her family graze their cattle on.

Janie Van Winkle’s husband, Howard, drives a tractor as she collects hay for her cows. The drought has meant she needs more hay than usual to keep her cattle healthy.

A field is irrigated at Frank Nieslanik’s farm in Grand Junction, Colorado. The Colorado River has been in a drought for 22 years, putting stress on the state’s farmers.

A winding portion of the Colorado River.

A depleted reservoir high on top of Grand Mesa near Grand Junction, Colorado.

A cow stands on a dry patch of grass on one of the tracts of land Janie VanWinkle and her family use to graze them on.

A stretch of the Colorado River, near the river’s headwaters.

The Colorado's two major reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, were at 28.5 per cent and 22.6 per cent of capacity, respectively — well below levels from this time a year ago, according to Water-Data.com.

The ninth consecutive atmospheric river fizzled out on Monday, its remnants soaking the southernmost part of the state, Arizona and northern Mexico, meteorologist Mr Roth said.

Another storm was forecast that could bring moderate rain on Tuesday and Wednesday.

California can otherwise expect dry conditions for the remainder of January, state officials said.

People had to be rescued after two vehicles fell into a sinkhole in Chatsworth as storms continue to ravage California. Reuters

Homes flooded in Planada as the storm sequence continues. AFP

A lorry barely makes it through floodwaters in Merced as storms continue to batter California on Tuesday. AP

A boulder fell on a vehicle parked on the Pacific Coastal Highway in Malibu. Reuters

Storms are lined up over the Pacific Ocean and are expected to bring more rain and wind until the end of the week. Getty / AFP

CalTrans workers chip away at a huge boulder that fell on Malibu Canyon Road in Malibu. Reuters

Many celebrities live in this area of Malibu. Reuters

Marcial Calleja Aguirre runs with son Oliver as it starts to rain at the Silvas crossing at Uvas Creek in Gilroy. EPA

Storm debris near homes along the beach in Aptos. Getty / AFP

Debris from a mudslide blocks a street in the Laurel Canyon. an upscale neighbourhood in Los Angeles. AP

Water rages along Montecito Creek in Montecito on Tuesday. AP

A woman and a young girl are recovering after being trapped inside one of the vehicles at the bottom of a large water-filled sinkhole on Monday night. The Orange County Register / AP

Cars in a sinkhole along Iverson Road in Chatsworth. The Orange County Register / AP

The Los Angeles River rages. Reuters

The Los Angeles River is often so dry that cars can drive in it. Reuters

A CalTrans worker directs traffic at a motorway entrance. The 101 motorway is closed near Montecito. AP

The 101 is shut because of flooding in Gilroy, which is the garlic capital of the world. AFP

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 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

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

Agencies contributed to this report