Potential for damaging winds, flooding

Tens of thousands of people across Northern California are dealing with continued power outages early Monday, even as more strong winds are forecast along with rain and high-elevation snow. KCRA 3’s weather team is calling Monday an Alert Day because of heavy rain and wind.(Watch live coverage in the video above through 9 a.m..) | Click here for the latest forecast | Click here for sandbag locations | Click here for school closure informationMeteorologist Tamara Berg said that winds have been gusting below 50 mph with the strongest gusts expected until 7 a.m. That’s below the 60 mph winds that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of Californians over the weekend. Monday morning’s storm is also producing less rain than was earlier forecast, which is lessening fears of more impactful flooding. Still, many school districts across the region have canceled classes for Monday. Residents in the Wilton area, which flooded from the New Year’s Eve storm, were ordered to evacuate ahead of the storm’s arrival. And an evacuation warning has been issued in El Dorado County due to possible flooding.People living in the areas of Highway 50 and White Hall & Highway 49, and Union Mine Road to the Amador / El Dorado County border are urged to prepare to evacuate.”Those who require additional time to evacuate and those with pets and livestock should consider leaving now,” the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office said on Sunday. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday evening sent a formal request to President Joe Biden to declare an emergency, which would allow for more resources for storm preparation and relief. Biden approved that request on Monday. SMUD’s outage map showed about 50,000 customers affected by the outages in the Sacramento area as of Monday at 2:45 a.m. At the peak of the early Sunday’s outage, 345,000 customers were without power. In all, more than 78,000 people across KCRA 3’s coverage were dealing with outages early Monday, according to a state map. See SMUD’s outage map here See PG&E’s outage map hereSee all California outages hereHere are the latest storm updates.5:02 a.m.: Here’s a look at levels at the latest river level forecast for the Cosumnes River and Tuolumne River.As of Monday morning, the Cosumnes River is forecast to crest Monday night at 12.7 feet, 3.5 feet below the level we had on New Year’s Eve.The Tuolumne River is now forecast to reach just below flood stage.4:43 a.m.: SMUD’s outage map shows 40,000 customers without power in the Sacramento area. That’s down from 50,000 two hours ago.4:35 a.m.: We’re in the peak wind gust period but so far gusts have been below 50 mph. 4:11 a.m.: President Joe Biden has approved California’s state of emergency declaration. This will provide more federal assistance for state, tribal and local storm response efforts. 4:10 a.m.: Our weather team says rain is manageable so far and wind gusts aren’t as strong as those late Saturday into Sunday. Monday: 3:21 a.m.: These are the following schools and school districts that will be closed on Monday:Sacramento City Unified School DistrictStockton Unified School DistrictSan Joaquin Delta CollegeGalt Joint Union Elementary School DistrictGalt Joint Union High School DistrictCosumnes River ElementaryC.W. Dillard Elementary SchoolRiver Delta Unified School District (will also be closed Tuesday)Delta Community CollegeJesuit High SchoolSunday: 11 p.m.: KCRA 3 Reporter Orko Manna spoke with residents in Wilton, the area county officials ordered to evacuate.Resident Zachery Shay is choosing to stay despite evacuation orders.”We’ve been through this probably 10 times in my life,” Shay said. “I’m 28 years old, and it’s not a big deal; we’re used to it.”Mary Alice Campfield is also not evacuating. She has lived in Wilton since the 1980s and has worked at the Wilton Store for 17 years.”The river may hit the road, but it’s not going to affect me, or here. We’re at a high flag round here,” Campfield said. “If you’ve lived here long enough, it’s eh.”10:46 p.m.: As of this writing, there are about 45,000 SMUD customers and about 48,000 PG&E customers without power.10:42 p.m.: The Hart Senior Center on 915 27th St. was opened up as an evacuation center for those seeking shelter from the storm.10:05 p.m.: Jesuit High School will be closed on Monday ahead of the storm.9:51 p.m.: The Sacramento City Unified School District announced it is closing all schools on Monday, citing weather concerns.9:45 p.m.: The Galt Joint Union Elementary School District will be closed on Monday and is recommending residents shelter in place or follow evacuation orders in their area.The Galt Joint Union High School District will also be closed Monday, explaining that some of its campuses have property damaged from the storms.9:21 p.m.: The National Weather Service in Sacramento issued a flood warning for the Cosumnes River at Michigan Bar. It expects the river to rise significantly from the coming storm.8:40 p.m.: San Joaquin Delta College announced it will close campus on Monday because of weather conditions.8:24 p.m.: The Sacramento County Department of Regional Parks announced it is closing all of its parks on Monday.7:11 p.m.: Rio Vista High School announced that all River Delta Unified School District schools will be closed both Monday and Tuesday.6:55 p.m.: The Elk Grove Unified School District said it is closing Cosumnes River Elementary and C.W. Dillard Elementary School on Monday due to the weather. All other schools will remain open.6:22 p.m.: Residents in the Wilton area of Sacramento County are told to evacuate immediately while roads are still passable. The Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services said “flooding is imminent.”Wilton flooded during the New Year’s Eve storm. The road boundaries for the Wilton area evacuation order are as follows: Northbound: Jackson Rd/Hwy 16 Eastbound: Grant Line Rd, south to Bond Rd, south to Hwy 99 Southbound: Arno Rd, west to Alta Mesa Rd, south to Twin Cities Rd, west to Clay Station Rd Westbound: Clay Station Rd, north about 4 miles, then northwest to Jackson Rd/Hwy 16Officials established an evacuation center at the Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation on 9040 High Tech Court in Elk Grove. You can see a boundary map for evacuations here.6:13 p.m.: The Stockton Unified School District announced it is canceling classes on Monday due to weather conditions.4:17 p.m.: KCRA 3 Reporter Michelle Bandur spotted downed trees near and in Southside Park in downtown Sacramento.4:06 p.m.: The Sutter County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation warning to residents at the Lovey’s Landing RV Park.4:03 p.m.: SMUD said it has restored power to more than 287,000 customers. Its outage map shows that about 63,000 customers are still without power.4 p.m.: Cal OES Director Nancy Ward said PG&E has brought in out-of-state resources to help the utility with restoring power and repairs. 3:45 p.m.: KCRA 3 Reporter Orko Manna spotted downed trees on 17th and N streets in midtown Sacramento.3:30 p.m.: State officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, speak on the preparation ahead of Monday’s storm.3:29 p.m.: Crews in Fair Oaks are working to lift a tree that fell on a home.2:52 p.m.: LiveCopter 3 went up to survey storm damage.2:09 p.m.: The California Office of Emergency Services announced the state is requesting President Joe Biden to sign an emergency declaration that would allow for more resources in handling the storm and its aftermath.1:32 p.m.: The press conference with California officials is at 2:45 p.m.12 p.m.: SMUD says the fastest way to report an outage is on their website. 11:47 a.m.: Here’s an update from Placer County. 11:45 a.m.: Capt. Keith Wade with the Sacramento Fire Department joined KCRA 3 to talk about storm safety. Here’s what else to know about the storm response in Sacramento County. 11:40 a.m.: SMUD continues to make progress on power outages. Their map shows 226,000 customers still without power. 11:06 a.m.: All city parks and fields are closed in Davis. 10:53: Here’s an update on Sierra chain controls. 10:49 a.m.: KCRA 3’s Lysée Mitri came across a tree that fell on a home in East Sacramento. Ashley Zavala saw a tree that took out multiple cars and damaged a business in midtown. 10:01 a.m.: Here’s an update on parks that are closed in Sacramento County. 9:27 a.m.: Sacramento County officials issued an evacuation warning for people in the Wilton area to leave now ahead of more severe weather. “Rising water may spill over onto the nearest roadways and cut off access to leave the area,” the Office of Emergency Services said. “Last weekend, exit routes flooded quickly for residents leaving Wilton, so we are urging residents to get out now while roads are still clear; don’t wait for an evacuation order.”An evacuation center has been set up at the Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation, 9040 High Tech Ct in Elk Grove.Read more here. 10 a.m.: The National Weather Service reminds people not to drive through flooded roads. 9:16 a.m.: Here’s a look at the hail that fell in Citrus Heights and Granite Bay earlier this morning. 9:14 a.m.: KCRA 3 photojournalist Andrew Faulk saw a power line on fire on the Garden Highway. 9:04 a.m.: SMUD’s outage map now shows 279,000 customers with the lights out, representing more progress since 345,000 were without power overnight.9:03 a.m.: Gov. Newsom is set to talk about the severe weather at 1 p.m. in Sacramento County. We’ll stream it here. 8:11 a.m.: Eastbound I-80 is back open for those headed from Davis to Sacramento after an overturned big rig caused an earlier closure. 8:05 a.m.: SMUD says crews are “working as safely and quickly as possible” to restore power. 8:04 a.m.: KCRA 3’s Lysée Mitri reported from downtown Sacramento where a tree is blocking the roadway at 8th and H streets. 7:58 a.m.: Here’s a look at damage at 23rd and I Streets in Sacramento7:54 a.m.: Some good news for drivers on I-80 heading from Davis to Sacramento. 7:48 a.m.: Here’s a look at damage from a tree crashing into a home in midtown Sacramento. 7:41 a.m.: Rancho Cordova officials say Coloma Road is closed from Benita Drive to McGregor Drive due to a downed tree. Here’s how strong the winds gusted in Northern CaliforniaThe National Weather Service said early Sunday that winds gusted to more than 60 mph in some areas.“These are exceptionally strong winds and we’re seeing the results of that,” Verdoorn said of outages and downed trees during a late-night Facebook Live with anchor Brittany Hope.Meteorologist Eileen Javora reported that McClellan Airfield in North Highlands recorded a top gust of 68 mph, while Rancho Cordova hit 64 mph and Sacramento Executive Airport 63 mph.–KCRA 3’s Brittany Hope, Dirk Verdoorn and Danielle Wilburn contributed to this story.