A powerful series of storms hammered Northern California on Tuesday, causing widespread flooding and claiming two lives in Sonoma County as record-breaking rainfall battered the region.
San Francisco shattered a 136-year-old daily rainfall record, measuring 2.53 inches of rain. The deluge was so intense that rain fell in white vertical sheets, overwhelming storm drains across the city.
The storms proved especially devastating north of San Francisco in Sonoma County, where the Russian River swelled to flood stage. In a dramatic incident, rushing waters and a mudslide caused an unoccupied house to collapse and slide into the Russian River around noon. Debris from the destroyed home was later spotted floating downstream.
The severe weather turned deadly with two storm-related fatalities reported in Sonoma County, including one man who was pulled from a culvert, according to the Sheriff's office.
The dangerous conditions forced multiple evacuations in the area. Three homes near the collapsed house were evacuated, with two being "red tagged" as unsafe for occupancy. Later Tuesday evening, a separate landslide struck another home, trapping two residents who were later rescued.
Mount Tamalpais in neighboring Marin County recorded a staggering 17 inches of rain between Friday and Thursday morning, reported Crystal Oudit, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
While Wednesday provided a brief respite with clear skies, forecasters warn that another storm system arrived Thursday morning. The Weather Service predicts up to three inches of additional rainfall in parts of the San Francisco Bay area and Central Coast, with more flooding possible in Marin and Sonoma counties.
Emergency crews continue clearing downed trees, power lines, and debris from roads as yet another storm system builds in the Pacific, heading toward the California coast.