California flood waters recede after ‘atmospheric river’ hits the state

Reuters

Published on Jan. 3, 2023, 7:27 PM

Residents were asked to evacuate and move to higher ground after the first levee failed on Saturday.

Heavy rains in parts of northern California have caused levee failures on a portion of the Cosumnes River.

At least two levee failures were reported near Wilton in Sacramento County, prompting a flash flood warning till Monday morning (January 2).

Video images showed fast-moving floodwaters covering large swathes of farmland as water flowed towards communities southwest of Wilton.

Residents were asked to evacuate and move to higher ground after the first levee failed on Saturday.

Northern California has been slammed by a powerful weather system called an "atmospheric river" that brought heavy rain to the region.

Further storms are expected this week, according to the National Weather Service.

(Production: Fred Greaves and Pavithra George)