SANTA ROSA, Calif. – The strongest atmospheric river of the autumn season so far drenched Northern California with several inches of rain, leading to mudslides, flooded highways and multiple water rescues.The Northern Bay Area took the brunt of the onslaught, with rainfall totals reaching 10 to even 20 inches in Sonoma County. A gauge in Cazadero reported 21.39 inches over the three day stretch of Wednesday-Friday. Healdsburg recorded 17.75 inches while Santa Rosa set a 72-hour rainfall record with 12.68 inches.The foot of rain in Santa Rosa overwhelmed drainage systems and local creeks and rivers. At one point Thursday, floodwaters stranded more than 300 people at a hotel and medical clinic, fire officials told FOX 2 San Francisco.BOMB CYCLONE SLAMS SEATTLE AREA WITH FIERCE WINDS LEAVING AT LEAST 2 DEAD, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS WITHOUT POWERCars were trapped in parking lots as waters rose. But later in the afternoon, as the waters receded, Sutter Health was evacuated.Another water rescue was needed after a car in Healdsburg became trapped in 3 feet of water, according to an NWS storm report.HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHERCAL Fire’s swift water team rescued two people and a dog from a flooded roadway in North Chico just after midnight, according to video posted to their social media.Several roads were closed between Santa Rosa and Windsor due to flooding, and Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputies reported between 7-10 water rescues along Mark West Springs Road. The Russian River in Guernerville was forecast to reach near moderate flood stage.The National Weather Service reports multiple trees have fallen along stretches of US 101 in far northern California due to strong winds, and there have been nearly 20 landslides between Wednesday and Thursday. A boulder that fell into the middle of Highway 281 in Clearlake Riviera caused an accident. Rocks blocked both lanes of Highway 20 in Sarasota Springs.A landslide in Redway hurled rocks at a car on its way down, but there were no reports of injuries in any of the slides.The plume of moisture sagged south into the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area on Friday, making for miserable commutes. Flash Flood Warnings covered the heart of Downtown San Francisco into the mid-afternoon, then shifted into Oakland and the East Bay for Friday evening.Rain gauges in San Francisco measured over 4 inches in spots. CalTrans reported standing water and flooded lanes led to stalled cars on busy Interstates 280 and 580 in San Francisco and Oakland, respectively, along with US 101 and California Route 17 in the South Bay.The rain and blustery wind was too much for a massive 60-foot tree in the heart of San Francisco. It toppled at Sansome and Pacific Streets, damaging a car along the way. No one was injured.NORTHEAST BLASTED BY SNOW, BENEFICIAL RAIN AS MAJOR AIRPORT HUBS FACE THANKSGIVING TRAVEL DELAYSAside from the rain, blistering winds swept across the northern half of the state, fueled by the storm’s nearby powerful low pressure center. The coastal wind gauge at Mattole Road in Humbolt County south of Eureka clocked a gust of 98 mph Friday morning.At elevation, Palisades Tahoe recorded a gust of 128 mph at its summit, which is 8,600 feet above sea level.Gusts swept into the Bay Area too, with multiple measurements in the higher hills reaching over 60 mph. A gauge outside of Livermore measured a gust of 73 mph while Montara hit 69 mph. Like most atmospheric rivers, this one has dumped several inches of snow in the Siskiyous and Sierra Nevada. Castle Peak reported 20 inches of snow through 4 a.m. Thursday with 17 inches at Soda Springs and 11 inches at Kingvale. The northbound lanes of Interstate 5 were closed north of Redding into the Siskiyous for a period Wednesday evening due to heavy snows, but the freeway has since reopened.The snow has tapered off all but the highest peaks Thursday, as mild Pacific air flows in and snow levels skyrocket above 8,000 feet. Snow levels will plummet back down to 3,000 to 4,000 feet on Saturday as colder air moves into the region, which is below the major pass level and making driving conditions hazardous.WHAT IS A BLIZZARD?DOWNLOAD THE FREE FOX WEATHER APPAs much as 6 feet could fall across the highest peaks by Saturday’s end. Up to 2 feet could fall along I-5 in the Mount Shasta region. To the north, a couple of inches will fall along I-5 as the system moves through Siskiyou Pass in southern Oregon.
