SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A potentially historic storm system roared ashore Sunday in Northern California, prompting the National Weather Service in Sacramento to urge anyone in the path of the “atmospheric river” to brace for a “wild 24 to 36 hours.” At least two people died in Washington state as the storm pushed across Puget Sound.
>> Atmospheric river: Photos, videos capture deadly storms in California, Pacific Northwest
>> Read more trending news
A pedestrian carries an umbrella while walking on a path in front of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021. Showers drifted across the drought-stricken and fire-scarred landscape of Northern California on Wednesday, trailed by a series of progressively stronger storms that are expected to bring significant rain and snow into next week, forecasters said. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Rocks and vegetation cover Highway 70 following a landslide in the Dixie Fire zone on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, in Plumas County, Calif. Heavy rains blanketing Northern California created slide and flood hazards in land scorched during last summer’s wildfires. AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Rocks and vegetation cover Highway 70 following a landslide in the Dixie Fire zone on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, in Plumas County, Calif. Heavy rains blanketing Northern California created slide and flood hazards in land scorched during last summer’s wildfires. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Caltrans maintenance supervisor Matt Martin surveys a landslide covering Highway 70 in the Dixie Fire zone on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, in Plumas County, Calif. Heavy rains blanketing Northern California created slide and flood hazards in land scorched during last summer’s wildfires. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A Santa Rosa firefighter convinces a resident to evacuate after being trapped by floodwaters on Neotomas Ave., in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Santa Rosa firefighters rescue a resident trapped by floodwaters on Neotomas Ave., in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Santa Rosa firefighters check for residents trapped by floodwaters on Neotomas Avenue in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Workers clear branches on Mirabel Avenue during a storm in Forestville, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Santa Rosa firefighters check for residents trapped by floodwaters on Brookhaven Drive in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
From right, Nathan Murray and Ruby Murray, 6, evacuate due to floodwater on Neotomas Avenue in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Workers push water off a tarp covering the field from rain at Levi’s Stadium before an NFL football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Indianapolis Colts in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. A powerful storm roared ashore Sunday in Northern California, flooding highways, toppling trees and causing mud flows as forecasters predict record-breaking rainfall. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
A car drives through floodwaters on Neotomas Avenue in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Santa Rosa firefighters check for residents trapped by floodwaters on Brookhaven Drive in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A Santa Rosa firefighter checks for residents trapped by floodwaters on Brookhaven Drive in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Update 9:35 p.m. EDT Oct. 24: At least two people have died as storms associated with the “atmospheric river” pushing through California ravaged Oregon and Washington state on Sunday.
Two people died after a tree fell on a car in Fall City, about 20 miles east of Seattle, on Sunday afternoon, Eastside Fire and Rescue confirmed to KIRO-TV.
The strong storm system, which has also caused power outages affecting tens of thousands of people across the two states, is expected to continue through Monday.
Original report: The long and wide plume of moisture, pulled in from the Pacific Ocean and expected to move south over the next few days, was accompanied by drenching rains and strong winds that toppled trees, flooded highways and spawned mud flows in areas scorched by recent fires.
>>Click here for local coverage of the storm by KIRO7 in Seattle
According to The Washington Post, Sacramento last week recorded its first 0.01 inches of rain since March 19, but now sits poised to absorb more than half a foot of flooding rains, following a 222-day drought.
>> Related: Heavy rains, high winds expected to pound California, Pacific Northwest
Through mid-morning local time Sunday, more than 3.5 inches of rain had fallen in Santa Rosa; both San Francisco and Oakland received nearly 2 inches; Sacramento recorded nearly 1.5 inches; and Mount Tamalpais, just north of San Francisco, had already received more than half a foot of rain, the Post reported.
In addition to the double-digit rainfall totals some northern California locales are expected to receive, the Level 5 of 5 atmospheric river is expected to dump as many as six feet of fresh mountain snow, the newspaper reported.
Meanwhile, western Washingtonians monitored the system – which reached its full strength Sunday morning about 500 miles off the coast of Astoria, Oregon – as it underwent “bombogenesis,” a meteorological term for a very rapidly strengthening area of low pressure, KIRO-TV reported.
“Some of our higher elevation locations could see 6, 7, 8 inches of rain before we’re all said and done,” NWS meteorologist Sean Miller told The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, multiple mudslides and debris flows within the massive Caldor Fire burn scar forced the California Highway Patrol to close State Route 70 in Butte County, about 150 miles north of the Bay Area.
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.