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That “strong atmospheric river” we were warned about on Friday arrived in full force this morning, bringing heavy rain and flooding to much of the North Coast. The downpour is expected to continue through Wednesday.

Folks living out in the Mattole Valley will bear the brunt of the storm, with three to four inches of rain expected in Honeydew and Petrolia, according to estimates from the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Eureka. The Hoopa Valley is also projected to receive about three inches of rain.

The weather service has issued numerous flood advisories and warnings for flood-prone areas around Humboldt Bay, including the Eel River at Fernbridge. 

“The river is expected to rise to above flood stage around 9 PM this evening to a crest of 20.6 feet just after midnight tonight,” according to a Facebook post from the NWS. “It will then fall below flood stage Wednesday morning. Never drive your car into water of unknown depth. Most flood deaths occur when people drive their vehicles into flood waters.”

The following highway closures are currently in effect:

• The Hookton Road offramp on Hwy. 101 is closed due to flooding. 
• Northbound lanes of Hwy. 101 are flooded near Trinidad. While the road isn’t closed, an alert from the California Highway Patrol reports a “near miss traffic collision” in the area, so you’ll want to take extra care driving through the area.
• Avenue of the Giants (Hwy. 254) is closed north of Redcrest due to flooding. There is no estimated time of reopening. 
• A small slide has closed one lane of Hwy. 299 west of Willow Creek. Alerts from CHP indicate the crews are on-site, clearing the road. UPDATE 11:30 A.M.: Hwy. 299 is open!

Humboldt County Public Works says the following roads are flooded:

• Fernbridge Drive
• Berta Road
• V Street at Hwy. 255
• Old Arcata Road between Graham Road and Jacoby Creek Road
• Waddington Road between the 2400 and 2500 blocks
• Port Kenyon Road (Market to California Street)
• Ambrosini Lane 
• Meridian Road (mile marker .5 to .9)
• Cannibal Island Road
• Elk River Road at mile marker 3.34
• Eel River Drive is closed at Hookton Road due to flooding
• Freshwater Road is closed between Howard Heights and Garfield School
• Coffee Creek Road is closed

You can sign up for county road updates here. More information on local highways can be found on the Caltrans QuickMap.

If you encounter a flooded road, remember this little nugget of advice from our friends at NWS: “Turn around, don’t drown when encountering flooded roads! Most flood deaths occur in vehicles.”

We’ll keep this post updated with additional road closures. Stay safe out there, folks!

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