Strong Atmospheric River Event, Snowmelt, Flooding Forecasts Prompt Preparations for 2 Weeks' Worth of Essentials

As a strong atmospheric event with snowmelt and flooding is expected, officials advise residents to get two weeks' worth of necessities ready.

Early on Wednesday, about 16 million people in central and northern California, which includes Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area, were under flood watches because of a storm that was expected to drench the area with dangerous amounts of rain on Thursday in most of the locations where there are already thick snowfall layers from previous severe storms.

The Sierra Nevada western foothills will be most at risk for flooding from rain and snowmelt, and creeks and streams there may experience flooding as a result of the combination of heavy rain and snowmelt.

Strong Atmospheric River Event

Officials in Monterey and Marin counties have started preparing for the impending storm, which is anticipated to hit the region as a strong atmospheric river event, in response to the looming forecast.

The emergency services office for the Big Sur neighborhood in Monterey County even advised locals to stock up on necessities that would last them at least two weeks. Sandbags have also been made available by the county to residents who require them to protect their property.

One of central California's most popular tourist destinations in the Big Sur region, which is located approximately 150 miles south of San Francisco and features picturesque, rugged cliffs, mountains, and undiscovered beaches by the Pacific Coast Highway.

According to county Fire Chief Jason Weber, the Marin County Fire Department will have personnel ready to perform rescues in the event of flooding.

As a result of storms earlier this year, Weber announced that all of their reservoirs were full. When reservoirs are full, the streams and creeks will rise more quickly because the majority of the rain will become runoff.

Flood Watch

One of California's urban search and rescue task forces is based in Marin County, where a flood watch will go into effect on Thursday. According to Weber, this task force will make its resources available to other counties as needed.

The threat of severe weather this week comes as a large portion of California has been battered by multiple rounds of back-to-back heavy snowfall that rendered roads impassable for several days. The severe weather also knocked out power for thousands of residents as temperatures plummetted, CNN reports.

Crews carried out dozens of rescues over the weekend in hard-hit San Bernardino County. In these counties, homes were buried in several feet of snow. The county continued its well-checks and community outreach on Monday night, according to the sheriff's office. Some roads were still closed early on Wednesday even though significant amounts of snow had been removed, KCAL/KCBS reported.

2 Weeks' Worth of Essentials

After a crisis, you might need to live independently for a few days, says Ready. Being ready entails having enough food, water, and other supplies on hand to last several days. A disaster supply kit is a collection of essential items that your family might require in an emergency.