California's weather has calmed down after weeks of atmospheric rivers that slammed the state with damaging rains, wind and surf. Tallying the damage will take time, but a California Office of Emergency Services spokesperson says the number of homes and other structures that will be red-tagged as uninhabitable could be in the "low thousands." The damage is spread across 41 of California's 58 counties. Light rain and snow showers are lingering in some areas Tuesday, but skies are largely clear. The National Weather Service says there will be a shot of precipitation from a quick system on Wednesday into Thursday, followed by a dry period.
Californians on Friday were bracing for heavy downpours and potential flooding from a series of rainstorms poised to usher in the new year. An atmospheric river storm began sweeping across the northern part of the state Friday and was expected to bring more rain through Saturday. Officials warned rivers and streams could overflow and urged residents to get sandbags ready. A flood watch was in effect in much of Northern California through New Year's Eve. In Southern California, moderate-to-heavy rain is expected on Saturday. It was the first of several storms expected to roll across California over the next week.
