A loud noise woke Sacramento resident Eric Sanderson at around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, and it was enough for him to grab a flashlight and head outside.
Out front of his Arden Arcade home, he witnessed two downed power lines near Howe Avenue, a busy thoroughfare in northeast Sacramento County.
“I heard a little thunder last night, but I didn't think anything like this had happened,” Sanderson said on Sunday morning. “I mean, we got lines down in the street. It's kind of crazy here. I wonder when they're going to get it repaired.”
For the second consecutive Sunday, Sacramentans woke up to significant damage after a night of dangerous, powerful winds and rain, the latest blitz in a series of storms that has brought down hundreds of trees and power lines and sparked flash flooding across Northern California.
As of Sunday afternoon, SMUD, PG&E and internet service providers were still scrambling to restore power and access to hundreds of thousands of homeowners and businesses across California. At one point during the storm, nearly 350,000 SMUD customers were without electricity.
A SMUD crew repairs a fallen power line in Arden-Arcade, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
Utility workers are racing against time, with an even stronger and potentially more dangerous storm forecasted to slam into California on Sunday night. Sacramento County officials are already warning some residents to evacuate in anticipation of more dangerous weather.
In the Wilton area, which experienced deadly flash flooding on New Year’s weekend, residents were warned to evacuate before the rain and winds return on Sunday.
"Rising water may spill over onto the nearest roadways and cut off access to leave the area," the county Office of Emergency Services wrote in a press release. "We are urging residents to get out now. … Don’t wait for an evacuation order."
Governor Gavin Newsom and state and local emergency response officials were scheduled to give an update on the storm by 3 p.m. The forecasted wind and rain this Sunday and Monday could bring another 2-4 inches of precipitation to the valley and as much as 5 inches in the foothills. The National Weather Service says damaging winds will return Sunday evening, with the strongest gusts coming from midnight to 2 p.m. Monday.
And after this atmospheric river, meteorologists predict even more storms into the next weekend.
Another Sunday dealing with storm damage
A tree lays across two houses in South Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023.Andrew Nixon / CapRadioShawna McMillan lives in the Colonial Heights neighborhood of Sacramento. A little after midnight on Sunday morning, she says she was in the back of her home trying to calm her dogs as winds picked up.
"And then I hear a loud boom and see a flash, and then immediately the power goes out," she said.
McMillan also heard a loud boom from the alley behind her home, which she thought was a transformer going out. However, it was a large redwood tree hitting the front of her home, her neighbor's house and the car in their driveway.
The tree landed just before their front door, narrowly missing the living room, damaging their roof and sending a branch into their kitchen.
"I didn't realize the extent of the problem until my husband got home from work and was banging on the back window, because he clearly couldn't get to the front door," McMillan said. "And I had this sheer moment of emotion when I saw it, because it's like a few feet from our couch."
But McMillan says she’s grateful the damage wasn't worse and that no one was hurt.
"Nothing that can't be replaced," she said.
This latest storm, which brought intense winds and rain beginning Saturday night and into Sunday morning, also included wind gusts that hit 60-70 mph through the region, including 64 mph at Mather Airport and 60 at the Sacramento International Airport, according to the National Weather Service.
A woman was killed in Sacramento after being struck by a fallen tree Saturday night.
A flood watch for much of Northern California west of the Sierra Nevada remains in effect until 4 p.m. Wednesday, as another strong atmospheric river is forecast to hit the region Monday.
In Sacramento’s central city, downed trees frequented most streets, smashing cars, homes and even a motel.
Midtown Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
As of Sunday afternoon, many traffic lights remained out across all neighborhoods, with more than 200,000 SMUD customers still without power.
Outside Adrian Doughterty’s home in North Glen, two trees broke on his property — but both fell away from his house.
“I heard trees rocking everywhere. And there a big thud, and we're staying thankful that it wasn't on the houses, it was on the street,” he said.
Dougherty, who says he’s lived in Sacramento for 30 years, has never seen storms like these.
“This is crazy. And it’s going to happen again tomorrow,” he said.
