It's Wednesday. Relentless rain causes disaster in California. Plus, how homeless people are surviving the storms. |
 | | Floodwaters filled fields south of Gualala, in Santa Rosa, Calif.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images |
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The toll of so many days of rain in California became increasingly apparent on Tuesday: An apartment building roof in South San Francisco flew off early in the morning. A sinkhole opened in Chatsworth and swallowed two cars. Two motorists died when a tree fell on them on a highway just north of Visalia, bringing the state's death toll to at least 17 from the round of storms that began in late December. |
Though the storms are undoubtedly intense, scientists and meteorologists say they still haven't come close to equaling the intensity of the 1861-62 megastorm, the most severe winter weather crisis in the West Coast's modern history. |
Beginning in late 1861, atmospheric rivers pummeled the West with wave after wave of rain and snow. Swaths of the Central Valley became unbroken expanses of water. Sacramento residents navigated their city's flooded streets on rafts buoyed by whiskey barrels. |
"These storms, while impressive — don't tell anybody in Santa Barbara they didn't get hammered by this thing — but it's just not in the same league as 1861-62, where it encompassed bigger storms over wider areas," Larry Schick, a meteorologist formerly with the Army Corps of Engineers, told my colleague Raymond Zhong. |
Whether we approach those 19th-century records will depend on what comes next. Forecasts say that another storm will hit Northern California on Wednesday, while Southern California will be spared. The state will get a reprieve on Thursday and Friday, but another round of wet weather is expected to strike this weekend and not taper off until perhaps the middle of next week. |
Tell us: How are the storms affecting you? Email us at CAToday@nytimes.com with your stories and photos. |
 | | Heather Smiley hugged her shivering dog at an encampment on a levee along the American River in Sacramento on Monday. Max Whittaker for The New York Times |
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If you read one story, make it this |
 | | A strong fund-raiser, Representative Katie Porter became known for her combative treatment of witnesses from the financial sector and Trump administration officials who appeared before her on the House Oversight Committee. Apu Gomes/Getty Images |
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- No fraud: A state commission ruled that allegations of an illegal $1,100 payment to an El Monte City Council member for breast augmentation surgery were "disproven," The Los Angeles Times reports.
- Disney prices: Disney has revised policies related to ticketing, hotel parking, ride photos and annual passes.
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- Who pays for fallen trees: A couple was stuck paying thousands of dollars to remove a tree from a public staircase after it fell from a sliver of land they did not know they owned, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
- 'Tranq': As San Francisco struggles to tackle its fentanyl-driven overdose crisis, officials are on high alert that another drug colloquially known as "tranq" could infiltrate the street supply, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
- Redwoods: Storms are toppling redwood groves, prompting the State Department of Parks and Recreation to close multiple areas for an unspecified time, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
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 | | Linda Xiao for The New York Times. |
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 | | Stephanie Wood and her daughter Janelle Wood, 5, looked for trash along the bank of a lake at El Dorado Regional Park in Long Beach.Jeff Gritchen/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images |
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Today's tip comes from Merrily Swoboda, who lives in Pittsburgh: |
"For decades now, while visiting our daughter in Long Beach, we've become fans of El Dorado Regional Park and, especially, its Nature Center and walking trails. The scenic paths there wind through eucalyptus and other groves of (to us) exotic plantings and landscapes. The park's stream, its beautiful lake, especially, with its many turtles basking on logs, is always a treat — a true 'oasis' in the midst of an urban environment that is a local treasure!" |
Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We'll be sharing more in upcoming editions of the newsletter. |
And before you go, some good news |
The stations of San Francisco's new Central Subway, which stretches from Chinatown to the South of Market area, are showplaces for a series of public art installations that tell the stories of their neighborhoods. |
"We have suddenly found ourselves as the owners of one of the most extraordinary art collections in transit anywhere in the world," Jeffrey Tumlin, the director of transportation for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, told The San Francisco Chronicle. |
For $3 or less, visitors will be able to view dynamic new sculptures, bold tile murals, high-tech light installations, photo murals and even painted glass you can walk on. |
Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Soumya |
Briana Scalia and Isabella Grullón Paz contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. |
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