Sun Returns To Livermore As Ninth Atmospheric River Passes

LIVERMORE, CA — After a whopping three weeks of almost nonstop rain that dumped a total of 14.33 inches on Livermore, the storms have finally cleared for the foreseeable future. Tuesday was 53 and sunny in Livermore. Wednesday is expected to be cloudy and gusty, with a 25 percent chance of precipitation in the afternoon, but none is expected to accumulate. Mild rain may also fall Thursday afternoon.

The ninth atmospheric river to hit Livermore was not as powerful or destructive as earlier storms, according to reports. Still, flooding in some portions of Livermore was also so intense that some residents reportedly used paddle boards to float around. Some residents living near Bluebell Drive and Galloway Street reported about six inches in their homes, KTVU reported.

Flooding also caused a number of road closures. In Livermore, two local roads were closed due to flooding, and several county roads leading in and out of the city remain closed as of Tuesday afternoon:

• Marina Avenue from Wente Street to Arroyo Road
• Patterson Pass Road from Greenville Road to I-580
• Corral Hollow from County Line to I-580

Del Valle Regional Park, Sycamore Grove Park, and the Arroyo Mocho Trail from Robertson Park to Stanley Boulevard all remain closed.

In Pleasanton, Sycamore Road was closed from Pleasanton/Sunol Road to Sycamore Creek Way for much of Monday. Niles Canyon Road was also shut down again Saturday after reopening Thursday due to mudslides and flooding. On Tuesday morning, an ACE train was stalled due to a 100-foot mudslide along Niles Canyon, resulting in evacuation for the train’s 220 passengers.

CLOSED PARKS

Several East Bay regional parks remain closed due to storm damage:

• Del Valle Regional Park
• Anthony Chabot
• Sunol Wilderness
• Ohlone Wilderness

Other parks are now open, but with certain roads closed:

• The Bollinger Canyon Road access to Las Trampas
• The main entrance of Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve
• The Lafayette staging area of Briones Regional Park
• The entrance Road of Coyote Hills is closed to cars
• Meyers Garden at Dry Creek
• The west shore trail and Redwood Canyon Golf Course at Lake Chabot
• The main entrance at Morgan Territory
• The main gate of Reinhardt Redwood
• The Alameda Creek Trail
• The Niles Staging Area
• The Beard staging area

WHAT DID YOU SEE?

Patch wants to hear from residents how they weathered this unprecedented deluge. If you would like to share your experience in words and photos, please email michael.wittner@patch.com. The information will be used to add to this story.

24.5 TRILLION GALLONS SPILLED, AT LEAST 19 DEAD, WETTEST 3 WEEKS IN 161 YEARS

The final storm over the weekend was the ninth atmospheric river to hit California since Dec. 26. Since then, an estimated 24.5 trillion gallons of water have fallen on the state, according to calculations based on methods from the Farmer’s Almanac and information from the National Weather Prediction Center.

The storms also killed at least 19 people, more than the number of confirmed fatalities of California wildfires in 2021 and 2022, according to the East Bay Times.

Over the weekend, rains put eight million people in coastal California on a Flood Watch that remained in effect until Monday night. Flood warnings were issued in Marin, Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties, as well as parts of San Mateo, Santa Cruz, San Benito and Merced counties.

Though the storm was not as powerful as earlier ones, flooding and landslide risks remained acute since the ground is so saturated with water.

26,000 customers in California lost power Saturday night, according to poweroutage.us. This is a far cry from a week ago, when up to 100,00 customers in the Bay Area alone lost power.

BIDEN TO VISIT CENTRAL COAST

President Joe Biden announced Monday that he will travel to the central coast Thursday to visit areas most affected by the storms. The White House said Monday that the president will meet with first responders and local officials, assess recovery efforts, and determine how much federal support is needed.

Last Wednesday Biden declared a major disaster in California, which made federal funding available to Merced, Sacramento and Santa Cruz counties. The funding will go toward temporary housing, emergency work, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and more.

EAST BAY RESERVOIRS REPLENISHED

Despite all the damage and disruption, the rain did bring some good news: drought relief. On Dec. 1, 85 percent of California was classified as being in a stage of “severe drought,” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Last Thursday, that number dropped to 46 percent.

The East Bay Municipal Utility District reported Thursday that the seven reservoirs it operates were 86 percent full, up 68 percent from September. The Pardee Reservoir, the region’s biggest source of water, is 96 percent full.

“We’re in a much, much better position right now,” district spokesperson Nelsy Rodriguez told Berkeleyside in an interview. “We have been waiting for a wet season like this for years.”

Still, Rodriguez said that if the rain were to stop now, the district would still face water shortages. As a result, EBMUD will not consider changing conservation requirements until at least spring, when it knows how much more rain fell during the wet season.

LOCAL RESOURCES

Sandbags remain available at several locations throughout Livermore:

• Maintenance Service Center - 3500 Robertson Park Road (limit 6 bags per household)
• Fire Station 6 - 4550 East Avenue (limit 6 bags per household)
• Fire Station 8 - 5750 Scenic Avenue (limit 6 bags per household)
• Zone 7 Water Agency - 100 North Canyons Parkway (limit 10 bags per household)

Report flooding to Water Resources at 925-960-8160, or the Livermore Police Department at 925-371-4987. Downed trees and power lines can also be reported to the police department, or to 911.

If you know of anyone experiencing homelessness, contact CityServe of the Tri-Valley 925-222-2273 (CARE), or email connect@cityservecares.org.

For a full list of closures, storm safety tips, and contact information, visit the City of Livermore’s storm update page.

To receive local emergency notifications, text your zip code to 888–777. For Alameda County notifications, sign up for AC Alerts here.