UPDATE: Auburn braces for additional incoming storms

This story was updated at 2:25 p.m. Jan. 6, 2023. Wednesday's bomb cyclone brought high winds and precipitation to the Auburn area while local agencies worked to maintain their facilities ahead of more wet weather. Caltrans reported Thursday night the westbound Interstate 80 off-ramp at Ophir Road was closed due to a rockslide. The Ready Placer Dashboard lists the location of the slide at Ophir and Wise roads. Matt Randall, engineering manager for the Placer County Department of Public Works, said the rockslide occurred at 8:38 p.m. Thursday and crews immediately closed the roadway once they arrived on scene. Ophir Road will remained closed through late Friday. According to Randall, road crews are using construction equipment to remove material from the area to stabilize the slope and Placer County Fire is utilizing a fire truck with high-pressure nozzles to spray water onto the slope to remove loose material. Randall also confirmed Public Works Roads and Fire staff is also working with geologists to cut the slope back to a safe angle so the road can be opened as soon as possible. "Our goal is to get the road passable this evening and work will likely continue for the next week or so," Randall said in an email to the Auburn Journal Friday afternoon, noting this was one of many storm-related incidents county staff responded to. Other incidents included downed trees, flooded roads, clogged drainage systems and culverts and clearing snow from road in higher elevations and Tahoe. As of Thursday morning, Auburn Public Works Superintendent Matt Carducci said the city fared "remarkably well" over night, despite the high winds bringing down trees. "I'm really surprised. I know a lot of trees fell, but it was all on private property," he said. Carducci said the wind brought down "every last leaf" on the trees, so Public Works crews spent the day cleaning the roads of leaves and gravel to prevent clogged drains. Megan McFarland, an information officer with PG&E, said over-saturation caused trees to uproot. "This is one of the most powerful storms to hit our area in years," she said. The heavy rain also caused power poles to topple, though McFarland said only eight Auburn residences were without power as of late Thursday afternoon. Of 1,300 residences without power in PG&E's Sierra Division, 510 were in Placer County. Butte County was the hardest hit with 5,607 residences without power. While there was no flooding Wednesday night, Carducci said Auburn Ravine nearly crested and there were areas of concern along Marguerite Mine Road, where water has been collecting during downpours. Carducci said some incidents of note were from a tree falling and causing a power pole to fall into a home on Smith Court and a flat roof collapsing at a business on Nevada Street. In North Auburn, Dennis and Harriet White lost their carport early Wednesday evening. The carport, 20 feet by 40 feet, blew away from the front of their residence at the Rock Creek Mobile Home Park and broke into multiple pieces, landing on the back of their roof and in their next-door neighbor's yard. "Welcome to my open house," Dennis White said with a smile Thursday morning, adding the carport bounced on its support beams during the high wind before finally breaking loose. "It was a noisy night," he said. Nearly 8 inches of rain was recorded at Auburn Municipal Airport from Dec. 30 through Thursday, when Placer County proclaimed a local emergency. Nearly 1 1/2 inches fell from Thursday morning to Friday morning. According to the National Weather Service, more storms are forecast this weekend and Monday. The storm arriving Monday could bring up to 4 inches of rain, according to Idamis Del Valle-Shoemaker of the National Weather Service. "We're forecasting that brief periods of moderate to heavy rain on already-saturated soils could lead to areas of rapidly developing flooding and potential for closures," Del Valle-Shoemaker said. "We recommend you prepare by securing loose items because of racing wind, never driving through flooded roadways and checking road conditions before you hit the road. Be aware if you live near a river or creek." Del Valle-Shoemaker also said there is a storm arriving Saturday, but Monday's storm is projected to be stronger and bring wind gusts to 45 mph. She noted those with pets should be alert and have a safe plan ready in the event of a flood. "We always recommend having an emergency plan for pets in case you do have to evacuate due to flooding or if you live near recently burned areas," Del Valle-Shoemaker said. "If you need to evacuate, then do it sooner rather than later if possible and make sure that you have alternate routes in case there's flooding. Make sure food and water are available." On Tuesday afternoon, the following closures were implemented in the Auburn State Recreation Area ahead of the storms: Mammoth Bar remains closed due to wet weather and is closed to vehicle access. Lower Lake Clementine is closed due to an active rock slide in the area. Confluence Trail from Mammoth Bar to the Confluence is closed due to trail damage and washout. Auburn State Recreation Area Superintendent Mike Howard confirmed the slide on Confluence Trail is severe and unstable, resulting in the trail's closure for the remainder of the winter. Howard advised recreators to stay off the trails for "the next week or so" due to being saturated and slippery. According to Howard, the buoy line above the dam broke off and is hanging over the dam, so no boating is allowed until it is repaired. China Bar, Oregon Bar and Birdsall are closed due to concerns of downed trees with the forecasted wind event. "Once the storm's over, we'll evaluate all that and see what we can reopen," Howard said. Howard confirmed there is no concern of the Confluence flooding due to the storm. "That would take a huge amount of water. … We're not there yet," Howard said Wednesday morning. According to Howard, the water level in the Confluence was higher by a few feet in 2017 than it is now after the New Year storm. Howard said trees are expected to be down everywhere so, "We'll be working to clear roads and then trails, in that order." The Auburn Area Recreation and Parks District (ARD) closed its parks Wednesday morning due to the forecasted storm and high wind. ARD announced Thursday afternoon all parks would be reopened by 1 p.m. "We urge all park users to remain safe during these storms," ARD said in a news release. The city of Auburn confirmed Wednesday sand and sand bags are available at the School Park Preserve parking lot for residents, 55 College Way. All parks within the city limits are closed. According to the city, the closure was expected to last through Thursday, with a potential extension to next week depending on park and weather conditions. The city also confirmed Public Works is working to clear drains, manholes and downed trees from roadways. Individuals who see a backed-up drain or manhole, or a downed tree in a roadway, are asked to notify the Public Works Department at 530-823-211, ext. 111, or the Auburn Police Department's non-emergency line after hours at 530-823-4234. The Placer County Sheriff's Office reported 35 of 92 calls for service made Wednesday night were related to the storm, in comparison to the 200 storm-related calls on New Year's Eve. According to the Sheriff's Office, there are still concerns over road access and debris flow in the burn scar areas of the Mosquito, River and Bridge fires. The Sheriff's Office advises the public to avoid recreation in and around burn scar areas for the next several days, and not driving over flooded roads. Residents can call 211 for non-life-threatening matters related to the storm or 530-745-7565 to report issues, downed trees and flooding on county roads. Placer's Emergency Operations Center was activated Wednesday morning to help coordinate a countywide response. "We are tremendously grateful to our roads crews and first-responder partners for working around the clock throughout the storm to support our residents," said Placer County Director of Emergency Services and County Executive Officer Jane Christenson, "and we thank our residents for doing their part to prepare for the impacts responsibly. This proclamation is an important step to make sure that we have access to all additional resources that Placer County may need to continue to protect lives and property." Additionally, Placer declared a local emergency Thursday due to the ongoing storm threat in order to assert continuing risk to life and property, and the response is beyond the capabilities of local resources. According to a county news release, the proclamation also requests state and federal assistance.