Following six days of consistent rain, Central Coast residents have been dealing with downed trees, rockslides and power outages. In Carmel Valley, people continue to monitor the Carmel River.
Despite the rain, people still came out to walk Garland Ranch Regional Park Monday. As they crossed the bridge near the main entrance, many stopped to stare at the raging Carmel River. Muddy brown water rushed by, carrying tree limbs with it.
Stephen Dean with the U.S. Forest Service has been keeping a close eye on the river.
“I just want to monitor the river,” Dean says. “We've had probably four to five inches at Carmel River Station in the past three or four days. But higher up, in higher terrain, we've had much more rain.”
Brian Baggett and Joshlyn Scheid-Baggett have been monitoring the river on the USGS website. Their Carmel Valley home sits along the river. So that brown rushing water is right up to their back deck.
“Probably have about 200 sandbags out there. You can’t see them all, but they’re kind of tucked away,” Brian Baggett says.
They also moved their patio furniture away from the bank. It’s not the first time they’ve dealt with a rising river.
“It's quite beautiful, spectacular, scary at times. But that's the price you pay for living on the river,” says Joshlyn Scheid-Baggett.
According to the National Weather Service, the Carmel River got within a foot of flood stage around 8:30 am Monday. Forecaster Duane Dykema says since then, it’s been receding. But more rain is expected through Tuesday and even some snow.
“Some of the higher peaks in Monterey County, such as Cone Peak or Junipero Serra, could see a foot of snow or even more by late Tuesday. So that's a pretty significant snow event for our area,” Dykema says.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for certain areas in the Monterey Bay region.
Wednesday and Thursday should be dry, but cold. More rain is likely on Friday.