Thousands of buildings remain flooded as Ca. river recedes

Major flooding along the Russian River in Sonoma County, California, has prompted evacuations and left two towns accessible only by boat.

County officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for the Russian River area, following a massive mudslide near Monte Rio on Tuesday.

Following relentless rainfall, the Russian River quickly surpassed major flood stage early Wednesday. On Wednesday night, the river exceeded 45 feet - nearly 14 feet above flood stage. The river was receding as of Thursday morning.

A slow-moving storm moved into the West Coast from the Pacific, and brought heavy rainfall that has occurred over northern and central California [Monday and Tuesday], according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Frank Strait.

The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office urged people to "evacuate now if you live near the Russian River."

The sheriff's office said early Wednesday morning that all roads leading into the community of Guerneville are flooded.

"You cannot get into or out of town," officials said. "Guerneville is officially an island."

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About 4,500 people live in the town and about half have evacuated, according to the Associated Press. Both Monte Rio and Guerneville are currently cut off from neighboring communities. At least 2,000 homes and businesses were flooded, the AP reported.

One woman suffering a serious medical issue had to be airlifted by helicopter to a nearby hospital on Wednesday, the sheriff's office said.

As water levels dropped on the river, so did the calls for assistance. The Guerneville Fire Department said it had no calls for rescues during the overnight hours on Thursday.

The National Guard was called to Guerneville in response to the major flooding.

A mudslide on Bohemian Highway has closed the roadway in both directions near Monte Rio, limiting driving options for those looking to evacuate due to flooding along the Russian River, officials said.

People were caught in that mudslide and workers helped to free them, according to ABC 7 news.

Bohemian Highway is one of two routes available for those evacuating. The only way out of the area now is through Highway 116, which runs along the swelling river.

According to NWS Bay Area, Santa Rosa obliterated the one-day rainfall record for the date with 5.66 inches. The old record was 1.82 inches set 100 years ago in 1919.

According to Strait, it is likely that even more rain has fallen in the mountains in Mendocino County, where the headwaters of the Russian River are located.

"Heavy rainfall continues across the area and rain will remain heavy at times through [Tuesday night]. Less intense rain will continue through [Wednesday night] before it finally tapers off," Strait said.

"As a result, the flooding along the Russian River is very serious, will get worse and likely will turn out to be the worst in decades in some areas. For example, the Russian River is already experiencing minor flooding and will see major flooding by [Wednesday] afternoon," Strait said.

The current forecast crest at Guerneville is 45.4 feet, which is not far below the record for that location, which is 49.7 feet. Strait said the current forecast crest would be the sixth highest on record if the forecast turns out to be correct.

In addition to the river flooding and flash flooding risk for that area, the heavy rainfall can lead to more mudslides, Strait said.

Dozens of mudslides were reported in Sonoma and Plumas counties through Tuesday night, many of which blocked lanes or entire portions of Highways 1, 116, 128 and 70.

A mobile home park in Shasta County had to be evacuated due to rising floodwaters. Many water rescues were executed as motorists found themselves stranded in as much as a foot of flowing water.

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Another storm is set to batter the state from Friday into the weekend. AccuWeather meteorologists expect the heaviest rain to fall farther south.

"The first precipitation associated with the weekend storm should move onshore Friday night, with the bulk of the moisture streaming into the state on Saturday," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Kyle Elliott.

"Areas between San Francisco and Los Angeles are likely to receive the highest rainfall amounts, on the order of 1-3 inches," Elliott said. "So while Southern California escaped much of the weather from the Monday to Wednesday storm, the storm from Friday night to Saturday is likely to pack quite a punch."

To check Sonoma County road closures, click here.