Rains have brought California to its knees

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Tuesday, Jan. 3. I’m Karim Doumar, the L.A. Times’ head of newsletters, filling in for Ryan Fonseca. Happy New Year!

An atmospheric river pummeled Northern California with rain and snow this weekend, ending a drought-ridden 2022 with dangerous floods, levee breaches, power outages and evacuations. Northern California took the brunt of it over the weekend, and new storms are heading for the state later this week, too.

Record rains and fallout

Oakland had its wettest day since 1970 on Saturday with 4.75 inches of rain. A mudslide east of the city blocked part of Highway 580. In San Francisco, 5.46 inches of rain fell, making Saturday the city’s second wettest day in more than 170 years, the National Weather Service reported.

Flash flooding south of Sacramento submerged dozens of cars near Wilton, where the water poured over the levees, according to Times reporters Michael Finnegan and Jessica Garrison. Search and rescue crews in boats and helicopters scrambled to pick up trapped motorists. At least one person was found dead in a submerged car near Dillard Road and Highway 99, according to local media reports.

“I don’t want to use the term apocalyptic, but it’s ugly,” Sacramento County spokesman Matt Robinson, speaking by phone from a stretch of Highway 99 that he described as a vast lake, told Finnegan and Garrison. “We have a lot of stuck cars.”

In Los Angeles, where heavy rain fell Sunday and Monday, forecasters expect a strong Pacific storm with heavy rain and strong winds late Wednesday and Thursday.

Snow levels in the Sierra have also been outrageously high, with over 30 inches falling Saturday on top of an already prolific snow season.

Atmospheric rivers, explained

An atmospheric river is a long path of moisture that flows through the lower atmosphere, like a river in the sky. Obstacles, like the coastline, force rivers to shed their moisture and produce heavy rain and snow, Times graphic and data journalist Paul Duginski explained a couple years ago.

Atmospheric rivers lift up and over mountain ranges, dropping their moisture.

(Paul Duginski / Los Angeles Times)

Atmospheric rivers can be roughly 500 miles wide and transport water at a rate equivalent to 25 Mississippi Rivers or 2.5 Amazon Rivers, according to Marty Ralph, an expert on atmospheric rivers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Read more from Duginski’s atmospheric river explainer here.

Drought isn’t over, but this helps

The wet weather that closed 2022 has enabled at least a few of the state’s major reservoirs to exceed their historical average water supply. But the drought is far from over.

“The moisture that we’re getting now is a big help, but we need more — a lot more — to really put a major dent in the drought,” Richard Heim, a meteorologist with the National Centers for Environmental Information and one of the authors of the U.S. Drought Monitor, told reporter Hayley Smith.

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How to prepare for and survive heavy rains

For most people, rain means an excuse to cancel plans, rest, preserve energy and do household chores. I am sure you have your own rain traditions (mine’s moping and gazing forlornly out a window).

But heavy rain can put people at risk. Be aware of flood hazards wherever you live, but especially if your home is in a low-lying area, near water or near a recently burned hillside, Times reporter Karen Garcia suggests.

1. Check the flood risk in your area
2. Make a plan for flood emergencies
3. Listen to county officials and first responders
4. Read The Times’ guide to preparing for floods

And remember, it is never a good idea to drive through standing water, especially at night. If there’s a big pool of water between you and your destination, the safest thing to do is turn around and take a detour.

And now, here’s what’s happening across California:

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ROSE PARADE

Enthusiastic crowds flock to Rose Parade despite rise in COVID, RSV and flu cases
The parade kicked off Monday under clear skies and temperatures in the 40s. It was downright balmy compared with the arctic blast that gripped much of the country the week before Christmas.

• Morrison: Only a pandemic (once) and a war (three times) can stop the Rose Parade
• Inflation hits Rose Parade floats as prices for flowers soar, so builders look for ways to save
• Photos: After the rain, 2023 Rose Parade in full bloom

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Republicans move to retain Jan. 6 committee documents. Republicans are attempting to pass a new House rule to block materials compiled by the panel that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection from immediately going to the National Archives, reports Sarah D. Wire.

Barabak: A California lawmaker who survived Jonestown and Jan. 6 reflects on Trump, Jim Jones and Congress

New laws that took effect Jan. 1, 2023, will impact you. The Legislature sent 1,166 bills to Gov. Gavin Newsom for consideration in 2022. He signed 997 into law and vetoed 169. By comparison, California enacted 1,821 new laws in 1971, when Ronald Reagan was governor. The Times’ list highlights a few dozen noteworthy new laws for 2023, including several that were approved years earlier but are only taking effect now.

EDUCATION

UC strike energizes unprecedented national surge of union organizing by academic workers. The historic UC workers strike could reshape the teaching and research enterprise of American higher education.

Decades of sex abuse allegations rocked an elite Ojai boarding school. But no charges were filed. A criminal investigation into decades of allegations of sexual abuse at one of California’s most prestigious private schools has concluded without charges filed.

HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Scientists explore using psychedelics to treat alcohol, drug disorders. The FDA says they’re a potential “breakthrough” drug. Clinical trials have had promising results. Are psychedelics on the verge of changing mental health care?

Who will speak for the gulls? Conservationists fight to end Los Angeles water imports from Eastern Sierra’s Mono Lake. They argue that drought and diversions are exposing the lake bottom near islands that host one of the world’s largest nesting gull populations.

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Let’s ban toxic productivity. Five ways to change how we talk and get rid of toxic productivity.

The priciest home sales of 2022? We’ve got you covered. Here’s to the ultra wealthy selling homes for tens of millions of dollars under asking price.

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles: Small chance of rain, 60. San Diego: Probable rain, 61. San Francisco: Cloudy, maybe rainy. 55. San Jose: Partly sunny, 60. Fresno: Partly sunny, 59. Sacramento: Cloudy, 52.

AND FINALLY

We’re trying something new down here. Ryan asked you to send us photos and blurbs about California landmarks that are interesting or important to you.

Today’s landmark love? Sunset off the Pacific Coast Highway between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach, submitted by Ann Batenburg.

Ann writes:

“I just moved to California, fulfilling a lifelong dream to live by the ocean. My dog and I got here on the Friday before Labor Day weekend. We got to the apartment office minutes before it closed, signed the lease and drove immediately to the nearest beach at Crystal Cove State Park. Doggo can walk on the paved trail which goes for miles on the cliffs above the beach. Growing up elsewhere, I was surprised by how rugged the coast is in so many places.”

What are California’s essential landmarks? Fill out this form to send us your photos of a special spot in California — natural or human-made. Tell us why it’s interesting and what makes it a symbol of life in the Golden State. Please be sure to include only photos taken directly by you. Your submission could be featured in a future edition of the newsletter.

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.