Over 300,000 California residents without power affected by weekend winter storm
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The Sacramento Municipal Utility District reported that thousands of customers were still without power; authorities issued the warning about more storms in the coming days
Nearly 350,000 Californians were without power from Saturday night through Sunday affected by the intense winter storm that downed trees and power lines in Sacramento and neighboring counties.
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), the main electricity provider in the area, reported that more than 200,000 customers were still without power as of Sunday afternoon.
It’s all hands on deck at SMUD, with 100 teams working to restore power after Sunday night’s storm brought hurricane force winds to parts of our region. pic.twitter.com/PP04nxLqWH
— SMUD (@SMUDUpdates) January 9, 2023
The director of California's office of emergency services said Saturday's storm was the fifth to hit the state since Dec. 27 and more rain was expected in the week.
The weekend storm struck California after a few days of calm weather following a winter storm with intense winds that struck in the middle of last week.
The storms are a series of atmospheric rivers (large formations of water vapor over the ocean that turn to rain and snow once they make landfall) affecting California since December 27.
Although the state remains in a state of severe drought for several years, intense rainfall in a short time represents both difficulties and benefits.
Several communities were evacuated after the winter storm that hit the state on New Year's weekend
After the atmospheric phenomenon that occurred on New Year's weekend, several communities had to be evacuated. A subsequent winter storm was reported in Santa Cruz County and the Bay Area and several deaths were reported from the heavy rains.
With more storms in the forecast, Sacramento County officials issued an evacuation warning for the community of Wilton, one of the areas hardest hit by the New Year's weekend storm.
Authorities urged residents to leave the area before the storm hits, fearing more downed trees and power lines could make it difficult to leave the area.
Residents are asked to call 311 to report street flooding, downed trees, or out of traffic signals. Power outages should be reported to SMUD at 1-888-456-7683.
In case of emergencies, such as accidents and downed power lines, call 911.