California storms live updates: At least 17 dead as severe weather persists, gov says

California storms live updates: 224,000 without power as severe weather pounds state

Morgan Winsor and Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — Dangerously stormy weather continues to wallop California, drenching the drought-stricken state with a sudden and near constant onslaught of rain and snow, leaving a trail of destruction.

The National Weather Service has warned of a “relentless parade of atmospheric rivers” in the West Coast over the coming week. President Joe Biden has issued an emergency declaration for California, while local authorities have ordered thousands of residents to evacuate.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Jan 10, 6:39 PM EST

Santa Barbara lifts all evacuation and shelter-in-place orders

Santa Barbara County announced Tuesday that it’s lifting all its evacuation and shelter-in-place orders but warns that flooding may be present in certain parts of the county.

All Evacuation Orders and Shelter in Place Canceled for Santa Barbara County, including Montecito. Please follow the link for details: https://t.co/u91XGKqIMp pic.twitter.com/GrmaAXjopy

— Montecito Fire (@montecitofire) January 10, 2023

On Monday, Santa Barbara received a record 4.12 inches of rainfall.

Jan 10, 6:23 PM EST

At least 17 people dead due to weather, over 142,000 customers without power

At least 17 people are confirmed dead in California because of the powerful storms slamming the state, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

More than 44,000 people are under evacuation orders, Newsom said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Over 142,000 customers are without power throughout the state.

“We are not out of the woods,” Newsom said.

The storms are expected to impact the state until Jan. 18, according to the governor.

Jan 10, 2:59 PM EST

Search continues for 5-year-old swept away by floodwaters

Rescuers have resumed the search for a missing 5-year-old boy who was swept away by floodwaters near San Miguel, California, after they were forced to halt the search on Monday as the extreme weather made it unsafe for first responders to continue their efforts, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.

Underwater search and rescue, as well as air operations, will continue the search during a break in the intense storms, but warned that conditions continue to be extremely dangerous, the sheriff’s office said.

“The water level is high and continues to be fast moving. The public is strongly cautioned not to conduct self-initiated searches and put themselves in harms way and become a victim requiring resources that would otherwise be used for searching,” the sheriff’s office said in a release.

Jan 10, 1:59 PM EST

At least 16 people dead due to weather, over 195,000 customers without power

At least 16 people are confirmed dead due to California’s most recent band of storms.

Over 195,000 customers are without power throughout the state.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office confirmed 14 deaths as of Monday afternoon. Two more deaths were confirmed on Tuesday. Lightning struck a tree that fell on top of a truck, killing its driver. A motorcyclist also died after hitting a tree on the road.

-ABC News’ Alyssa Starr

Jan 10, 8:03 AM EST

Over 224,000 customers without power in California

More than 224,000 customers were without power across California early Tuesday, as storms unabatedly battered the Golden State.

As of 4:56 a.m. PT, there were 224,470 Californian customers without power, according to data collected by the website PowerOutage.us. A majority of those — 64,057 customers — were located in Santa Clara County.

Jan 10, 7:56 AM EST

California sees record rain, snow

Storms have dumped copious amounts of rain over California in recent days.

Santa Barbara received a record 4.12 inches of rainfall on Monday alone.

In the past two days, Ventura County counted 16.34 inches, Santa Barbara County 16.05 inches, Los Angeles County 7.12 inches and Monterey County up to 10.71 inches.

Meanwhile, the highest wind gust in the last 24 hours — up to 88 miles per hour — was recorded in the mountains near Santa Clarita.

Another 5 to 10 inches of rainfall is expected across California through the weekend, with the possibility of more flooding. An additional 4 to 6 feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada mountain range is also in the forecast.

Jan 10, 7:47 AM EST

The latest forecast for California

An unusually long and powerful jet stream is bringing tropical moisture all the way from Southeast Asia to California. It’s been parked over the Pacific Ocean for weeks, with no end in sight.

The latest forecast shows parts of these Pacific storms moving into the Rocky Mountains on Tuesday, with heavy snowfall and gusty winds.

The next storm is already arriving in the San Francisco Bay Area on Tuesday morning and will last through the day. Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California will also get more rain with this new storm, according to the forecast.

California will have some respite on Tuesday night before a new storm arrives in the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday morning.

This pattern of stormy weather will not end there. The forecast shows yet another system arriving at the end of the week and lasting through the weekend, bringing even more rain from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

Jan 10, 7:12 AM EST

Tornado warnings for parts of Central California

The National Weather Service issued two tornado warnings for parts of Central California early Tuesday morning.

The first lasts until 4 a.m. PT and includes the areas of Rancho Calaveras, Valley Springs and San Andreas. The second lasts until 4:15 a.m. PT and includes the areas of Modesto, Ceres and Riverbank.

Jan 10, 6:47 AM EST

Over 192,000 customers without power in California

More than 192,000 customers were without power across California early Tuesday, as storms unabatedly battered the Golden State.

As of 3:37 a.m. PT, there were 192,426 Californian customers without power, according to data collected by the website PowerOutage.us. A majority of those — 85,314 customers — were located in Santa Clara County.