The second of two powerful atmospheric storms walloped Northern California, killing three people and leaving a path of fallen trees, snapped power lines and debris on roadways in the capital region and elsewhere before moving Monday over the south state. From Ventura to San Diego, torrential rain was expected to create flooding and mudslide conditions.
The Sacramento region was battered Sunday with gusts of nearly 70 mph for more than eight hours that knocked down branches, power poles and fences. Meanwhile, rainfall averages were just about normal or a little above normal, according to Nathan Rick, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.
Still, the extreme gusts made travel difficult and led to the deaths of three men from fallen trees, authorities confirmed Monday afternoon.
The first occurred about 2 p.m. Sunday in Carmichael, when a tree struck a 41-year-old man on Gibbons Drive , according to the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office. Authorities said Chad Ensey, a resident of Carmichael, died at a hospital after the tree fell on him in his backyard.