A new storm dumped more rain on already waterlogged parts of Northern California on Monday, causing minor road flooding, scattered power outages and airport delays.
The rain came down hard in the San Francisco Bay Area, making for a treacherous commute. A landslide closed both directions of a highway in Fremont.
At San Francisco International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration reported arrival delays of almost two hours.
The storm dropped an average of between an inch and 2 inches of rain throughout the day in the Bay Area and Sacramento regions before heading to Southern California late Monday and overnight, according to the National Weather Service.
In Butte County, a 4-mile section of Highway 162 shut down after getting flooded by swollen creeks and drainage channels. There is no estimated date to reopen due to continued rain, authorities said.
Yosemite National Park officials said the Tioga and Glacier Point Roads have closed for the season because of deep snow and icy conditions. A series of storms in the last few weeks have left up to 2 feet of snow in the higher part of the park, including Tuolumne Meadows and Glacier Point.
Still, Monday's storm and another weather system expected later in the week won't be nearly as powerful as the blast that dumped as much as 8 inches of rain in parts of Northern California last week and up to 6 feet of snow in the high elevations of the Sierra Nevada. That storm caused widespread flooding and power outages, including in downtown San Francisco.
Here's a look at 24 hour totals ranging 2.00" to 6.00". Unreal. #BayAreaStorm #BayAreaRain #cadrought @nbcbayarea pic.twitter.com/PsRuVIzhzV — Jeff Ranieri (@JeffRanieri) December 12, 2014
And while the storms help, much more rain is needed to pull the state out of its severe drought, forecasters say.
The Sierra Nevada is expected to receive a few inches of snow by Monday morning at elevations above about 5,000 feet, a height that includes most ski resorts, said Eric Kurth, a meteorologist in the weather service's Sacramento office.
The second weather front is expected to dump yet more rain Wednesday in the Bay Area, forecaster Bob Benjamin said.
In Southern California, a cold front is expected to bring rain and mountain snow Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday will be dry, then showers will return Friday and Saturday, the weather service said.
