Cruz

[Drunk Monk]

Major flooding in Santa Cruz Mountains as atmospheric river storm pounds Bay Area
San Lorenzo River hits second-highest level in 85 years, as Bay Area is soaked with another storm


[img=730x0]https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/SJM-L-MONSTORM-0110-2.jpg?w=510[/img]


Floodwaters covered the children’s playground at Covered Bridge Park in Felton at 7:45 a.m. Jan. 9, 2023, after heavy rains swelled the San Lorenzo River to major flood stage before dawn. The water was just inches from the bottom of the historic bridge and carrying massive logs dislodged from the river banks. (John Woolfolk/ Bay Area News Group)
By PAUL ROGERS, JOHN WOOLFOLK, ETHAN BARON and JULIA SULEK | jsulek@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: January 9, 2023 at 10:19 a.m. | UPDATED: January 9, 2023 at 1:40 p.m.
The latest atmospheric river storm in an onslaught of soaking weather that has drenched Northern California for the past 10 days hit hard again Monday, causing major flooding near Felton in the Santa Cruz Mountains, submerging Highway 101 near Gilroy and causing evacuations in Watsonville.
The San Lorenzo River at Big Trees, near Henry Cowell State Park, rose to 24.51 feet by 7:30 a.m. — 8 feet over its flood stage and the second-highest level ever recorded since 1937 when modern records began.
Only during legendary floods in January 1982, when the river hit 28.8 feet and 10 people were killed in a mudslide at Love Creek near Ben Lomond, has the river run higher. More rain was forecast Tuesday and this weekend.
“In this drought era, a lot of folks in California may have forgotten just how significant the storms can get at times — how much water can fall from the sky over a relatively short period of time,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA.
With water just inches from the bottom of two bridges, including the historic Covered Bridge, Santa Cruz County officials ordered in the Felton Grove neighborhood near the Covered Bridge and the Paradise Park area down river near Santa Cruz evacuated.
Sonia Rojas, who works at the Wild Roots natural foods store along the river bank, watched massive logs sail downstream from the Graham Hill Road bridge over the river near the store before it opened.
“I’ve been working here for seven years and never seen it like that,” said Rojas, 44.
Scotts Valley Water District General Manager David McNair stood alongside Rojas, unable to get to work after flooding closed the Mount Hermon Road intersection on the road between Felton and Scotts Valley.
“There’s literally no way out of the valley right now,” McNair said. “We got so much rain last night it was astonishing.”

SEVERE FLOODING: Felton Grove neighborhood is underwater. Here it’s as high as the stop sign. #CAwxpic.twitter.com/R9jXfTKACz
— Brooks Jarosz (@BrooksKTVU) January 9, 2023

McNair said the heavy rains after years of severe drought are a relief for beleaguered water supplies, but come with their own set of troubles.
“I’m thrilled we’re getting rain,” he said, “but not all at once.”
For the 24 hours ending at 10 a.m. Monday, Boulder Creek and Ben Lomond, the watershed for the San Lorenzo River, received 4 inches of rain. Over the past week, the area has received 11 inches.
Smaller, but significant rainfall amounts also fell over the past 24 hours, with San Francisco receiving 1.44 inches, Oakland 1.8 inches and downtown San Jose .95 inches. The higher elevations took the brunt of the storm, with Mount Diablo in Contra Costa County receiving 2 inches, Mount Tamalpais in Marin County getting 3.01 inches, and Mining Ridge in Big Sur receiving a staggering 10.6 inches.

The San Lorenzo River at Third and Riverside in Santa Cruz. Tons of debris. Likely going higher. pic.twitter.com/Xyj0itNjEi
— Jim Cantore (@JimCantore) January 9, 2023

The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings for all of Santa Cruz County through 3 p.m. Flooding also was reported in Watsonville, where evacuation orders were in place along the Pajaro River.
Across the Bay Area, flood risk was high Monday as the powerful storm dumped rain overnight on hillsides already saturated from repeated storms.
Nervous water managers, public safety officials and residents watched rivers rise around the Bay Area.
The Guadalupe River in San Jose was expected to reach its flood stage by mid-day but not have major flooding. Similarly, the Russian River at Guerneville was forecast to hit 33 feet by early Tuesday morning, 1 foot above flood stage, but far short of the all-time record 49 feet.
On the edge of downtown San Jose, the Guadalupe River spilled into an overflow channel designed to prevent the area from the flooding.
“The whole system is working good right now,” said Steve Holmes, executive director of the South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition who stood on St John Street watching the flow at 9:30 am Monday.
Watching the brimming Guadalupe River near the historic Henry’s Hi-Life bar on the edge of downtown San Jose, Mike Wright, 69, recalled the devastating flooding in 1995. At the time, he was drinking beer at another bar nearby at Julian and Montgomery, Greg’s Ballroom.
“The water came up to the threshold,” he said. “So what do you do? You order another pitcher.”
But with the water project working as designed Monday, he said, “we’re happy. We don’t ever want to see it flood again.”
The Sierra was expected to get at least 3 feet of new snow by Tuesday. Flood concerns were rising in the Sacramento Valley. And near Santa Barbara, evacuation warnings were issued.
Sunday night, President Biden approved an emergency declaration for California at the request of Gov. Gavin Newsom directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts and provide emergency resources.
Near Gilroy, Uvas Creek sent flood waters knee deep across the four lanes of Highway 101, stranding several cars and blocking traffic by noon.
Caltrans planned to close the major thoroughfare, but first, maintenance supervisor Sophat Rem called out for help from motorists he had already pushed to the other side.
“It’s my third car. I’m getting tired,” Rem called out. “Someone help push!”
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Flooding on southbound Highway 101 just before the Hollister exit threatened to strand commuters near Hollister, Calif., on Monday, January 9, 2023. (Julia Prodis Sulek/Bay Area News Group)

Along the coast, businesses owners were still cleaning up in Capitola Village after record waves smashed a 40-foot hole in Capitola Wharf on Friday and flooded waterfront restaurants.
Near the town of Soquel,  Ashley and Derek Harper were evacuating their creekside home and the houses of their neighbors on Wharf Road, with their baby Lydia, for the second time since New Year’s Eve when the town’s central area was left underwater two storms ago.
By 9 a.m. Monday, the Harpers’ ground-floor studio, workshop and garage were two feet deep with muddy water from Soquel Creek. A sheriff’s deputy had come knocking around 5 a.m., telling them to leave.
“About 45 minutes later the water was at the front step,” said Derek Harper, 45, a solar services technician. “We had bags packed already.”
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Homes along College Road in Watsonville were flooded by morning as an atmospheric river pounded the Bay Area on January 9, 2023 . (Shmuel Thaler/Santa Cruz Sentinel)

The morning flooding also created havoc for the San Lorenzo Valley’s many Silicon Valley commuters, including Summer Mangrum, 40, who wasn’t able to get to Highway 17 due to the road flooding in Felton.
“This is crazy,” Mangrum said. She had a restless night hearing electric power transformers blow early in the morning, cutting off power to her Ben Lomond neighborhood. “At least I got my coffee!”
In downtown Felton, floodwater closed the main intersection at Mount Hermon and Graham Hill roads, trapping a motorist from Ben Lomond who had to have rescue crews push her car out of the water to safety.
“I saw other cars making it through there,” explained motorist Julie Armstrong, 76, from Ben Lomond, conceding that in retrospect, “I shouldn’t have done that!”
Slides closed portions of Highway 9 and snarled traffic on Highway 17. And Caltrans closed Highway 1 in Big Sur. Forecasters said more rain is expected Tuesday, with a drying-out period Wednesday, and another storm forecast for the weekend.
[i]This is a developing story.[/i]

We're still ok. Our backyard neighbor broke out his water pump (his place has had drainage issues).