More heavy rain threatens Northern California

GUERNEVILLE, Calif. — The second major storm in two days washed across Northern California on Sunday, prolonging the threat of flooding as residents tried to clean up thick layers of mud and debris left behind when the first wave of floodwater receded.

Three more inches of rain in the already water-logged region Sunday pushed the Napa River back toward flood stage in the wine-country town of St. Helena.

Water topped a levee in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, forcing as many as 100 people to evacuate Twitchell Island. Along the Sacramento River near Collinsville in Solano County, several dozen people were evacuated as the strong winds thrashed the water over the levee walls, which began cracking under the pressure, said Paula Toynbee, spokeswoman for the Solano County Sheriff's Department.

"It's getting worse. It's actually tearing apart," she said.

Hundreds of homes and businesses across the region had been inundated Saturday as heavy rain sent the Napa and Russian rivers spilling over their banks.

In many areas, the rivers and creeks were back within banks, though some towns remained flooded or flooded again Sunday. The Sonoma County town of Guerneville was among those still fighting floodwater amid pouring rain.

Wildfire-damaged areas of Southern California were also under a flash-flood watch and a threat of mudslides as heavy rain headed their way. In Pasadena, the Rose Parade's floral floats were being prepared for what could be the first rainy Rose Parade in half a century.

Mudslides kept road crews busy moving rock and debris that shut down Interstate 80 through the Sierra Nevada and other roads across the region.

In Guerneville, where the Russian River crested 10 feet above flood stage early Sunday, the downtown was largely spared, but low-lying areas and an unknown number of homes flooded, said Linda Eubanks of Sonoma County's Office of Emergency Services.

Officials were urging residents who had left to stay out for another day, and those who hadn't to evacuate. About 50 people were in emergency shelters, Eubanks said.