Lovely Sunny California

[Miss Vicky]

Apparently we've had so much rain here overnight that most of the main roads in town are totally submerged and I just got off the phone with a coworker who told me that people have been coming into the office to use the bathroom because their houses are flooded. They won't be seeing any patients today as the doctor, who drives a Corvette, cannot reach the office.

So far my street is relatively dry, but there's a creek that runs right behind my house that is maybe a foot away from breaking its banks and the water is rising fast. Looks like this is going to be a wet and miserable new year.

Edit: Did I mention that the field on the other side of the creek is already flooded and is draining into the creek? Oh yeah... and it just started raining again.

[estranged4life]

Apparently we've had so much rain here overnight that most of the main roads in town are totally submerged and I just got off the phone with a coworker who told me that people have been coming into the office to use the bathroom because their houses are flooded. They won't be seeing any patients today as the doctor, who drives a Corvette, cannot reach the office.

So far my street is relatively dry, but there's a creek that runs right behind my house that is maybe a foot away from breaking its banks and the water is rising fast. Looks like this is going to be a wet and miserable new year.

Edit: Did I mention that the field on the other side of the creek is already flooded and is draining into the creek? Oh yeah... and it just started raining again.


on the other end of the spectrum, it has not rained in Oklahoma on a steady basis since Halloween night (A couple of minor snow episodes did nothing to deter the drought) and it seems this state is becoming scorched earth due to the rash of wildfires.

There is no rain on the horizon for this state...Which finishes the yearly rain total at more than 1 foot under normal (12.3" below normal)

Tomorrow will be a day that we should be having in mid-May, with a high in the low 80's/mid 70's...Not the beginning of the New Year.

[wondergirl9847]

Texas has had wildfires out the yin-yang. We need rain desperately. Please, send any excess rain our way. :(

[irishgrl]

Victoria, where are you again? Im up northeast of Chico, in the mountains....
I see all the water running down the mountainsides, and our little reservoir is full for the first time in who knows when.....I know Feather River has a chance of flooding as it has in the past...pretty crazy eh?

[Miss Vicky]

Vacaville.

It's stopped raining for now and the sun is out, but most of the main roads are still flooded. Our moronic city never bothered to clean out the drains so they were plugged with leaves and debris, leaving nowhere for all that water to go.

The newscasters have been saying that the water was 4 feet deep in some places. Also, an elderly man was killed not far from my house when a tree collapsed on top of him.

[irishgrl]

Vacaville.

It's stopped raining for now and the sun is out, but most of the main roads are still flooded. Our moronic city never bothered to clean out the drains so they were plugged with leaves and debris, leaving nowhere for all that water to go.

The newscasters have been saying that the water was 4 feet deep in some places. Also, an elderly man was killed not far from my house when a tree collapsed on top of him.

Ah Vacaville. Home of the Nut Tree yes? and the Ren Fair too isnt it?

My step dad used to live in Vacaville. Wasnt there a big dinosaur that used to be on the outskirts also? that got torn down? I really dont know that much about Vacaville as I only passed by on 80 on the way to my mom's/brother's house in the Bay Area.

The sun is not out here....btw: hows the water level in the creek behind you?

[irishgrl]

Victoria, is the man in your town the man in this article? if so, you made national news!


More heavy rain forecast for West Coast
One California man killed by falling tree

Sunday, January 1, 2006; Posted: 12:03 p.m. EST (17:03 GMT)

GUERNEVILLE, California (AP) -- Northern California residents braced for a second storm to hit the region Sunday, a day after the first sent rivers rising into cities and mud sliding into homes and across highways.

One man died Saturday when a storm-weakened eucalyptus tree fell on him, a woman suffered a broken leg when a mudslide destroyed her Santa Rosa home, and more than half a dozen people were rescued from rushing water.

The Russian River crested early Sunday near the Sonoma County town of Guerneville at 42 feet -- 10 feet above flood stage -- flooding low-lying areas of the city and an unknown number of homes but sparing the downtown area, said Linda Eubanks of Sonoma County's Office of Emergency Services.

The extent of the damage was unclear because crews could not get into the affected area, she said.

Officials had urged residents of lower areas to evacuate and about 50 people were camped out in three local shelters, Eubanks said.

Many people chose to remain and ring in the New Year.

Maureen Weinstein hosted 10 friends and family members outside her Guerneville home, where they shot off fireworks, drank wine and listened to Motown.

"We live through (floods) a lot," Weinstein said, as the muddy river water hovered 10 feet away. "We're not that concerned this time because this year we have power and the Internet. I can monitor the water. It's wonderful."

The storm dumped an average of 4 to 5 inches in Northern California, with parts of Marin County recording more than 7 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Sunday's storm was expected to drop another 2 inches in Northern California, up to 4 inches in Southern California's coastal valley and 8 inches in the mountains, forecasters said. Rain was expected to resume Sunday afternoon. (Watch forecast by CNN's Bonnie Schneider -- 2:06)

"It's looking pretty powerful," said NWS weather specialist Bonnie Bartling.

It also threatened to rain on Monday's Rose Parade in Pasadena for the first time since 1955.

On Saturday, at least six helicopter rescues were performed Saturday in Sonoma County. Firefighters rescued two people from a mobile home park, where 4 feet of rushing water washed at least one house off its foundation, fire officials said.

In the city of Napa, near the heart of wine country, the Napa River rose 5 feet above flood stage, sending a surge of water to several blocks of downtown.

"We had so much water in such a short amount of time that manhole covers were popping all over the city," city councilman James Krider said.

Upstream in St. Helena, the Napa River reached a record 7 feet above flood stage before beginning to recede late Saturday. About 1,000 homes flooded, officials estimated.

In San Anselmo, the creek poured into as many as 70 downtown businesses, and two people rescued from the rising water were hospitalized with hypothermia, town administrator Debbie Stutsman said.

"The entire downtown area was under 4 1/2 feet of water," Stutsman said.

More than 600,000 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers from Bakersfield to the Oregon border experienced power outages, spokeswoman Claudia Mendoza said. About 110,000 customers remained without service early Sunday.

Mudslides closed several major roads, including Interstate 80 in the Sierra Nevada about 25 miles west of Reno. Six tractor-trailer rigs were caught in one slide on I-80 early Saturday, but no injuries were reported.

The interstate, the major corridor linking Northern California and points east, was expected to remain closed for at least two days, state officials said.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[Miss Vicky]

Victoria, is the man in your town the man in this article? if so, you made national news!

I'm not sure as I don't know what kind of tree fell on him. All I know is that it happened Saturday, a few streets down from mine, and the man was 62. But it's likely that he's the one they mentioned.

We weren't able to watch any news yesterday because we were without power from about 4 a.m. until just before midnight. I do know, however, that we had more heavy rains and more flooding yesterday, so it'll be interesting to see what happens when I try to go to work this morning.

[Miss Vicky]

Home of the Nut Tree yes? and the Ren Fair too isnt it?

Wasnt there a big dinosaur that used to be on the outskirts also? that got torn down? btw: hows the water level in the creek behind you?

Home of Nut Tree yes. Ren Fair not anymore. The big dinosaur, then called "Dixie," was just outside of Dixon. But, for whatever reason, they brought in a helicopter and moved it to Benicia, I think. I believe "Dixie" is now "Benny."

I haven't had the nerve to check the creek level again, too afraid a tree might fall on me.