SACRAMENTO: On New Year's Day, residents of a Northern California community were ordered to evacuate due to impending flooding, and evacuation warnings were in effect elsewhere in rural parts of the region after a powerful storm brought drenching rain or heavy snowfall to much of the state, breaching levees, snarling traffic, and closing major highways.

Even after the storm passed, major flooding occurred in agricultural areas about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Sacramento, where rivers overflowed and inundated dozens of cars on State Route 99.

On New Year's Eve and into Sunday morning, emergency crews rescued motorists while the highway remained closed. According to Dan Quiggle, deputy fire chief for operations for Cosumnes Community Service District Fire Department, crews discovered one person dead inside a submerged vehicle near Route 99 on Sunday.

Residents of the low-lying community of Point Pleasant near Interstate 5 were ordered to evacuate late Sunday by Sacramento County officials, citing imminent and dangerous flooding. Residents in the nearby communities of Glanville Tract and Franklin Pond have been advised to prepare to evacuate before more roads are cut off by rising water and evacuation becomes impossible.

“Flood from the Cosumnes and Mokelumne Rivers is expected to move southwest toward I-5 and could reach these areas by midnight,” the Sacramento County Emergency Services office said earlier. on Twitter on Sunday afternoon. "Cattle in affected areas should be moved to higher ground."

In the north of the state capital, crews removed fallen trees from roads and sidewalks as at least 17,000 customers remained without power on Sunday, up from more than 150,000 a day earlier, according to a map. in Sacramento County.

Near Lake Tahoe, dozens of drivers were rescued on New Year's Eve along Interstate 80 after cars overturned in the snow during a blizzard, the California Department of Transportation said. The key route to the mountains from the San Francisco Bay Area reopened early Sunday to leashed passenger vehicles.

“The road is very slippery, so let's work together and slow down so we can keep I-80 clear,” the California Highway Patrol posted on Twitter. Several other highways, including Highway 50, have also reopened.

More than 4 feet (1.2 meters) of snow has accumulated in the upper Sierra Nevada, and Mammoth Mountain Ski Area said heavy and wet snow will cause major delays in the opening of the cable cars. On Saturday, the resort reported multiple elevator closures, citing high winds, limited visibility and ice.

The so-called atmospheric river storm pulled a long and wide plume of moisture from the Pacific Ocean. Flooding and landslides have closed several roads across the state.

The National Weather Service said rainfall in downtown San Francisco reached 5.46 inches (13.87 cm) on New Year's Eve, making it the second wettest day on record, after the cataclysm. in November 1994. Videos on Twitter show muddy water flowing down the streets of San Francisco and a staircase in Oakland turning into an actual waterfall due to heavy rain.

In Southern California, several people were rescued after floodwaters flooded cars in San Bernardino and Orange counties. No major injuries have been reported.

With the area dry on New Year's Day and no rain expected during Monday's rose parade in Pasadena, spectators have begun to line up for the annual flower show.

Rain is welcome in drought-stricken California. The past three years have been the driest period on record in the state, but more rainfall is needed to make a significant difference. It was the first of many hurricanes expected to pass through the state over a one-week period. Hannah Chandler-Cooley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento, said Saturday's system was warmer and wetter, while this week's storms will be colder.

Chandler-Cooley said the Sacramento area could receive four to five inches (10 to 13 centimetres) of rain during the week.

The National Weather Service's Los Angeles regional office said another wave of heavy rain is also forecast for Southern California on Tuesday or Wednesday.