Highway 1 is fully closed north of Point Arena near the Garcia River due to flooding. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office says there is no estimated time of opening. Flood Warnings also remain in effect for the Russian River near Hopland and the Navarro River. The Russian has a flood stage of 15 feet. It is forecast to rise above 16 feet this evening and over 18 feet early Friday afternoon which could mean road closures in Hopland at Highway 175 and in Ukiah at Talmadge Rd. The Navarro has a flood stage of 23 – it is expected to rise above that this evening to just over 28 feet by Friday morning which will likely close Highway 128 east of Highway 1. Meanwhile a Flood Watch remains in general for all flood-prone areas and places with poor drainage until 10pm Friday with another 3 to 7 inches of rain possible between now and then.
Two US Senators want the federal government to improve the forecasting for atmospheric rivers. California Senator Alex Padilla, who is the chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife, and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, have introduced a bipartisan bill to upgrade the forecasting ability of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Weather Service. The "Improving Atmospheric River Forecasts Act" wants more public-private partnerships to create new tools for monitoring the weather and improving the predictability so people and governments can be better prepared. The bill claims the storms not only result in loss of life but also billions of dollars in damages every year.
