CA Braces For Last Of 9 Devastating Atmospheric Rivers

CALIFORNIA, CA — Weeks of damaging and deadly rains continued over the weekend in California. But drier days are ahead.

At least 19 people have died in connection with the storms since they began in late 2022, and a 5-year-old boy is still missing almost a week after floodwaters swept him from his mother's car. With areas of the state still under flood waters, experts estimate the storm damage will exceed $1 billion. On Saturday, President Joe Biden declared that a major disaster exists in California, making federal funding available to people in Merced, Sacramento, and Santa Cruz counties.

Thunderstorms battered the state, once again, Sunday.

The California Highway Patrol rescued three people whose car slid off a rain-slicked road and ended up teetering at the edge of a cliff in the Santa Cruz Mountains on Friday. The occupants of the car "were scared for their lives and were in disbelief" when they were pulled safely from the vehicle as its front end hung precariously over the cliff's edge, the highway patrol said in a statement.

The Santa Cruz area has been hit especially hard by the recent heavy rains, and that continued to be the case with the latest wave of flooding when families were warned to evacuate, according to AccuWeather. A driver and passenger trapped in high water were rescued in or around Scotts Valley, and, in Felton Grove, downed trees and debris cluttered the San Lorenzo River and floodwaters reached the tops of mailboxes, AccuWeather reported.

State Route 37 in Novato was closed in both directions Sunday due to flooding and was expected to remain impassable until Monday afternoon.

Downtown Los Angeles set a rainfall record Saturday with 1.82 inches, according to the National Weather Service. An oak tree fell Saturday night in Woodland Hills, crushing a vehicle and blocking a street, AccuWeather reported. In Orange County, firefighters rescued a woman via helicopter who was hanging onto a tree in a Laguna Hills creek. Many southern California roads remained impassable due to rocks and mudslides.

"We're not done," Gov. Gavin Newsom said. He urged people to be vigilant about safety for a few more days, with the last of a parade of nine atmospheric rivers expected to move through the state.

The University of California Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab tweeted Sunday morning that it received 21.5 inches of snow in 24 hours. Its snowpack of about 10 feet was expected to grow several more feet by Monday. Any extra rain and snow will prolong the risk of flooding, mudslides and landslides, with the weeks-long wet weather leaving the ground saturated and prone to runoff, according to AccuWeather.

But the end is in sight.

"By Tuesday, dry conditions are expected to return as an area of high pressure noses into California," meteorologist Brandon Buckingham told AccuWeather.

Northern and Central California can expect at least a day of dry conditions, while, for Southern California, the rain may be gone until February, according to AccuWeather.

Residents and business owners who suffered storm-related losses in the designated disaster areas of Merced, Sacramento, and Santa Cruz counties can begin applying for assistance at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), or by using the FEMA App, according to the White House.

One of the most tragic stories of the past few rainy weeks is that of Kyle Doan, the 5-year-old who clung to his mother's hands until he was swept away nearly a week ago in the floodwaters of San Luis Obispo County.

The mother and son were heading to school on a road that wasn't closed and didn't seem any different than when the family had crossed it the night before, Lindsy Doan said, until her SUV was being carried off the road and pinned to a sycamore tree.

Kyle urged Lindsy to be calm as the vehicle washed off course — his final words before he disappeared.

The neighbor who rescued Kyle's mother focused on saving her after noticing a body floating in a creek that appeared lifeless. Nearly 200 people have been searching for Kyle, who couldn't swim.

The Associated Press, City News and Bay City News contributed to this report.