Soggy March continues for Northern California as Sierra Nevada may see 3 feet of snow

SAN FRANCISCO — A storm brought strong winds, heavy rain, snow and high surf to California on Sunday, the fourth day of wet weather that has inundated rivers and roads and led to some evacuations.

Dry conditions and warmer weather are forecast for Monday. California is in its fifth year of drought, and though the rain and snow help, it will take years of normal or above-normal rainfall to right the deficit, experts say.

The storm that dumped rain in much of Northern California was expected to weaken as it moved south, though the southern part of the state could see scattered showers or drizzle, and beachgoers were warned of powerful surf along the central and Southern California coast.

North in Washington state, a man died after a large tree fell on his car in Seattle as a strong wind storm battered much of western part of the state. The National Weather Service warned of high winds, which knocked out power to tens of thousands of people.

Meanwhile, Northern California saw rivers and creeks swell and flood risk rise. About 8 ½ inches of rain fell during a 72-hour period in the unincorporated town of Venado in Sonoma County.

Authorities helped evacuate about 175 people from a campsite in Santa Clara County after a creek began rising, threatening to trap the campers, San Jose television station KNTV reported.

More than a foot of snow has fallen in the Sierra Nevada, which has been battered by a series of winter storms, and up to 3 feet was expected in the higher elevations through Monday, the weather service said.

Powerful rains also slammed central California, flooding streets in Fresno and briefly shutting down the airport.

Donny Mata, who coaches water polo and swimming at Bay Area Sunset Aquatics in Vallejo, said he’s thankful for the downpours but that coaching a youth club team in the cold rain these past few days has been challenging.

“If we don’t have water, it’s hard for us to have a sport, so I’m thankful for the rain,” Mata said. “At the same time, it’s hard to have these kids in their swimsuits out in the cold and not able to see because the water is splashing on their faces.

“But you got to put your rain boots on and bite the bullet,” he added.

Also Sunday, water from the rain-swollen Sacramento River was spilling over a 33.5-foot-high concrete wall and into a bypass built to divert floodwater.

The overflow is expected to reach a depth of 3 feet Tuesday, then start receding, said Robert Hartman, a hydrologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

It’s the first time water that has spilled over the so-called Fremont Weir crest and into the Yolo bypass since 2012.

The bypass is an expanse of farmland and natural habitat that stretches from Sacramento to Davis and was created a century ago.