1 person found dead in flooded car as California county faces major flooding
One person was found dead in a California car Sunday morning as a winter storm brought flooding and heavy snow to the state, a spokesperson for the Sacramento Subway Fire Department confirmed to ABC News.
A Sacramento Metro Fire spokesperson confirmed a fatality was recovered from a flooded vehicle in the southernmost part of Sacramento County near the city of Elk Grove.
According to the Sacramento Metro Fire, the identity and cause of death of the deceased were not confirmed until a coroner’s examination was conducted.
Sacramento’s National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for the area and asked drivers to stay off the road.
Levees breached in several places, causing flooding in the area, Sacramento Metro fire chief and public affairs officer Parker Wilbourne told ABC News.
The Sacramento County Emergency Services Department ordered residents of Wilton to evacuate early Saturday afternoon.
Jeff Chu/AP
“Rising water levels have made roads in the area impassable,” the office said in its advisory.
According to Caltrans District 3, which maintains state highways in 11 northern California counties, a highway near Elk Grove was closed due to flooding of the Cosmnes River.
Two more storms are expected in northern California next week, with a second storm scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, according to NWS Sacramento, which could cause flooding in the area.
More than five inches of rain fell in downtown San Francisco on Saturday, setting a new daily record for the San Francisco Bay Area’s National Weather Service. Said.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the West Coast is being bombarded by atmospheric rivers, which typically bring heavy rain, wind and snow to areas where the rivers flow.
NOAA describes rivers in the atmosphere as “rivers in the sky.” This is because atmospheric rivers are rather long and narrow regions of the atmosphere that carry most of the water vapor out of the tropics.
Meredith Deliso of ABC News contributed to this report.