People living near the Russian River in Northern California’s Sonoma County were ordered to evacuate Tuesday ahead of possible flooding.
The Russian River is expected to rise about 14 feet over the next day, according to an alert sent by Sonoma County Emergency Services.
The river is expected to reach flood stage Tuesday evening and crest Wednesday night near record-level, Sonoma County Sheriff Sgt. Spencer Crum said. The sheriff’s officesaid the river is projected to crest at 46.1 feet on Wednesday night.
Potentially thousands of people will be affected, not necessarily because of direct flooding, but stranded because of flooded roads, according to Crum.
Areas are already being affected, and the National Weather Service expects heavy rainfall over the next couple of days.
The record crest for the Russian River is 49.50 feet in 1986, according to the National Weather Service.
