STORM RESOURCES: High winds and rain ongoing

There are 19,706 power outages in Monterey County, and 6,444 in Santa Cruz County, according to poweroutages.us

High winds continue to cause damage along roadways. Monterey County is reporting multiple issues.

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NOAA

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California Nevada River Forecast Center

The California Nevada River Forecast Center says the Salinas River crested on Monday at Spreckels, but it remains about a foot above the 23-foot flood stage. The river is expected to dip below flood stage tomorrow, then rise again as runoff from today's rain works through the system.

Wind gusts are forecasted to reach up to 70 mph for parts of the region. Along steep slopes, where soils are saturated, that means a high likelihood of trees coming down, which could shut down roads and knock out power.

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As far as river levels, there is a flash flood warning in effect for low-lying areas around the San Lorenzo, and evacuation warnings are in place for Carmel Valley.

Our flood forecast information comes from the National Weather Service's river forecasting page

The river forecast for the San Lorenzo river now shows a much lower peak than previously expected:

It's now peaking at 17.2 feet — previously it was forecasted to reach over 20 feet.

The Salinas and Pajaro rivers are starting to subside, but are expected to rise again in coming days, as water drains from the mountains and feeds into the rivers.

Current forecast:

The San Lorenzo river is forecasted to crest at nearly 22 feet on Tuesday afternoon, threatening low-lying neighborhoods in the San Lorenzo Valley with flooding.

The forecast shows the river barely below major flood stage. The National Weather Service describes that level as "major flooding in the Felton Grove neighborhood ... with roadways several feet deep and waters inundating the approaches to the Felton Covered Bridge."

Residents in January experienced several rounds of flooding.

Monterey County has issued several evacuation orders for communities along the Salinas River. This includes portions of San Ardo, Greenfield, Soledad, Chualar, Spreckels, and Castroville. A reminder that an evacuation order means to quickly and calmly leave immediately.

You can find more details on the county's evacuation map.

President Joe Biden approved a federal state of emergency declaration for 34 counties, including Monterey and Santa Cruz, following the atmospheric river that hit California on Thursday and Friday.

"I think the storm was bad. It could have been worse, however," said Jason Hoppin, a Santa Cruz County spokesperson.

Flooding washed out Main street in the town of Soquel, isolating more than 800 residents, and damaging a water line that served about 40 customers of Soquel Creek Water District.

“The break (in the road) is significant," he said. "There's pretty much a rushing stream in the middle of it, so it's really not safe to cross by foot."

Hoppin said the county is working to repair the road, although the exact timeline is uncertain. The earliest the road could reopen is tomorrow, he said.

Concerns also remain along the Pajaro river, which is forecasted to rise to nearly 30 feet. Hoppin said the river doesn't typically flood at that height. But the aging levee, which protects the neighboring communities from flood waters, is at risk of failure.

"We start to get a little worried because that levee is old," he said. "And so we will put eyes on that levee, we will surveil it, we will patrol it and make sure that there are no signs of trouble."

The Monterey County community of Pajaro, just south of the Pajaro river, is also under an evacuation order. Evacuation orders have been lifted for most areas of Santa Cruz County, except for portions of Watsonville.

Tens of thousands of customers on the Monterey Peninsula and Carmel Valley remain without power. Light rain is expected through the weekend, with another atmospheric river reaching the central coast on Monday.

Monterey County has issued an evacuation order for residents in parts of Carmel Valley — the first such order in the county for this round of rain. A reminder that an evacuation order means to quickly and calmly leave immediately.

You can find more details on the county's evacuation map.

Santa Cruz County officials have issued a shelter-in-place alert for parts of Soquel, where both lanes of Main street are reportedly washed out near the 3625 address.

See video of the washout at the tweet below:

Some evacuation warnings have been upgraded to orders in Santa Cruz County. There are evacuation orders in place for parts of Soquel around Soquel Creek, Paradise Park, Felton Grove and the homes along Beth Dr. in Felton. also in Watsonville near the Pajaro river and Corralito and Salispuedes creeks.

See all of the evacuation orders and warnings in Santa Cruz County on Zonehaven Aware below.

The City of Watsonville has issued an evacuation order for residents near the Pajaro river — the first evacuation order that has been issued during this storm.

You can find all the Santa Cruz County evacuation information on Zonehaven Aware. Monterey County evacuations can be found on the county's emergency information map or Alert Monterey County

Pacific Gas & Electric is reporting widespread power outages across the region. Roughly 10,000 customers are affected on Monterey Peninsula and in Carmel Valley. Thousands more are affected in the Santa Cruz Mountains and other areas. Visit the PG&E Outage Center to see how your area is affected.

Another atmospheric river is headed to the Central Coast, and county officials are urging residents prepare for flooding, widespread power outages and road closures. The National Weather Service says "considerable river flooding" is a concern from the Santa Cruz Mountains to parts of northern Monterey County. Strong winds will accompany heavy rain, increasing the risk of downed trees.

The National Weather Service is forecasting the Big Sur and Carmel rivers will reach flood stage by Friday morning. The Pajaro river will also rise, but has a low chance of reaching flood stage. The Salinas river is forecasted to reach flood stage by Saturday morning.