Watch a helicopter rescue a California woman. 0:58
(CNN) — A respite from the rains is finally on the horizon in California, which has been battered by storms and where a torrent of successive atmospheric flows ravaged the state with flooding and mudslides for weeks.
The rains are easing across much of California, giving the state a much-needed respite from the unrelenting storms that have turned neighborhoods into lakes, paralyzed roads and forced tens of thousands of evacuations across the state.
At least 20 people died as a result of the storms, Governor Gavin Newsom’s office said on Monday.
It’s been a “very difficult time in the state of California,” Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis told CNN on Monday.
“We went from four years of very little rain to suddenly, in a three-week period, nine atmospheric fluxes were squeezed in such a short time, and that’s about the equivalent of a year of rain in a rainy year, no dry year, a wet year , all at once,” said Kounalakis.
Flood watches that blanketed millions on California’s central coast have expired, but scattered showers are expected Tuesday morning in southern California, where the ground is saturated and prone to mudslides.
Storms leave flooding, deaths and damage in California 3:54
The storm system, which is traversing California, is moving inland and is expected to bring heavy snow to the Four Corners region. Meanwhile, a weak storm system is expected to hit northern and central California on Wednesday, but significant rain and snowfall are not expected.
The dangerous conditions the storms caused in California have highlighted the deadly impact of flooding in the state, with officials saying more people have been killed in the storms in recent weeks than have died in wildfires in the past two years .
The 20 storm-related deaths recently recorded across the state include two people who ran into trees on their tents, people whose cars were submerged in floodwater and a child who died when a sequoia fell on them.
And rescuers are still searching for 5-year-old Kyle Doan, who was snatched from his mother’s hands by floodwaters after his SUV was swept away Jan. 9 in San Luis Obispo County.
The storm will move inland after passing through California
People walk on a flooded street in San Diego on January 16, 2023. (Credit: Mike Blake/Portal)
Rain and snow will hit the Four Corners region (an area spanning the states of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico) on Tuesday. Particularly heavy snowfall is expected in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, Wasatch, Mogollon Rim and especially in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado, the US National Weather Service said.
Between 12 and 24 inches of fresh snow is expected in parts of southwest Colorado by Tuesday night. Meanwhile, rain is forecast for lower elevations across much of the southwest.
Southwest storm system with another bout of gusty winds, heavy mountain snow and heavy rain and southwest southwest flooding including overly saturated CA. A wintry mix is expected in the Upper Midwest and Northeast. pic.twitter.com/RJu8GYNTok
— National Weather Service (@NWS) January 16, 2023
“Snowfall of between 15 and 27 centimeters is expected on the plain, including the corridor [de la autopista] I-25″, said the National Weather Service in Boulder. “Higher totals are possible locally where stronger snow bands are developing.”
The weather service warned of “difficult travel conditions” in the region from Tuesday to Wednesday.
As the storm system moves into the Four Corners region, cooler temperatures will spread.
Residents of the Great Basin and Southwest can expect high temperatures of up to 9 to 12 degrees below normal by midweek, according to the weather forecast.
The same storm will bring severe thunderstorms and heavy rain to parts of the south on Wednesday. A Low Risk Severe Thunderstorm Warning, Level 2 of 5, has been issued for far east Texas and the lower Mississippi Valley to the Tennessee and Lower Ohio Valleys.
The main threats are destructive winds, isolated tornadoes and large hail for areas like Memphis and Jackson, Mississippi.
Meanwhile, a mild excessive rain risk advisory, Level 2 of 4, was also issued for portions of lower Arkansas, lower Mississippi, lower Tennessee, and the lower and middle valleys of the Ohio River. The strongest storms have seen precipitation rates of 25mm per hour and isolated totals of more than 100mm.
President Biden declares state of emergency in California 5:32
California crews will be busy for weeks cleaning up the mess
A patch of much-needed dry weather this week will help crews across California working to reopen roads and make repairs after storms left a trail of destruction across the state.
You will tend to clear washed out roads and sinkholes, and clear roads blocked by boulders and mudslides that tumbled down the slopes.
More than 500 landslides have been reported in California since December 30. according to the California Geological Survey. Many of these landslides occurred along the coastal mountains of central and southern California.
Several freeways across the state remained closed on Tuesday. according to the California Department of Transportation.
The storms left an estimated $30 million in damage in Monterey County on California’s central coast, according to a preliminary figure released by the county. The amount includes the cost of clearing debris and repairing damaged infrastructure, authorities said.
Monterey County, which has issued numerous evacuation orders in recent days due to the storm threats, likely won’t be the only county facing costly repairs.
A view of a mudslide and damaged homes following flooding in Aptos, California on Monday. (Source: Daniel Dreifuss/Portal)
In Ventura County, residents of remote Matilija Canyon were urged to evacuate their homes Sunday after more than 17 inches of rain fell in a single day last week.
“Impressive piles of rock and mud reach heights of over 12 feet [3,6 m] high in places, blocking access to roads and cutting off residents from the gorge,” the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday.
“It can take up to three weeks to clear a single lane access road into the community and up to six months to complete the necessary repairs,” the sheriff’s office added.
A storm has washed away a historic pier in the coastal community of Capitola.
To the south, in the Chatsworth neighborhood of Los Angeles, a hole in the ground opened up, swallowing some vehicles.
President Joe Biden approved California’s request for a disaster declaration and released federal aid to help recovery efforts in areas hit by storms, flooding and mudslides since December 27.
Federal assistance may include grants for temporary housing and repairs, and loans to cover property losses for uninsured homes, the White House said.
And Newsom signed an executive order Monday to further step up emergency response during severe winter storms and provide support to affected communities across the state.
— CNN’s Stella Chan, Monica Garrett, Robert Shackelford, and Haley Brink contributed to this report.