Close eye kept on wildfire burn scars as Northern California storm poses mudslide, flooding danger
FORESTHILL — With another major storm moving through Northern California, officials are keeping a close eye on burn scars for possible debris flows.
Weather conditions near the Mosquito Fire burn scar rapidly changed at around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday to heavy winds and rain after a brief afternoon lull.
Three inches of rain in a short period of time is the number to watch. Efforts to minimize mudslides started even when the Mosquito Fire was burning in Placer County in the fall. But Placer County is equally concerned about high winds knocking down trees and lines, blocking roads.
Placer county Office of Emergency Services said it does not anticipate significant flooding, except for local flooding in the western part of the county. Multiple agencies have prepared for this winter storm.
"They're telling us this is going to be a serious situation that we need to make sure that we're ready and to make sure that people are abiding by the road closures and making sure they're prepared. Don't take it for granted," said Sgt. Tyler Conners with the Placer County Sheriff's Office.
Placer county wants people to get familiar with two websites:
- Placer Alert: This notifies you of any emergency alerts.
- Ready Placer: This gives you real-time information on road closures, alternate routes and other emergency preparedness information.
Strong winds have already started swaying trees and bringing down limbs. If the soil gets more saturated, there are also concerns over roads washing out and rock slides.
