Watch: Rockslide crashes down onto California's busy US Highway 101
The relentless atmospheric river storms this winter have become too much for a hillside along California's busy US Highway 101.
Trees toppled as rock slide closes California highway
A segment of US Route 101 was fully closed at Last Chance Grade in Del Norte County, California due to a rock slide on the evening of Friday, February 16, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) said.
KLAMATH, Calif. – The relentless atmospheric river storms this winter have become too much for a hillside along California's busy U.S. Highway 101.
Caltrans cameras were rolling Friday night when a large section of a hillside gave way and crashed down onto the highway in Klamath, California, near the Oregon border. There were no reported injuries.
7 WARNING SIGNS A LANDSLIDE OR MUDSLIDE IS IMMINENT
DOT crews say both directions of the two-lane highway are blocked and there is no estimate when the road will reopen.
A large mudslide crashes into US 101 near Klamath, California on Feb. 16, 2024.
(Caltrans)
The region has been soaked by multiple rainstorms this winter as a strong El Niño pattern kept the jet stream aimed squarely at California. Nearby Crescent City just received around 3 inches of rain from storms late in the week, just as two more atmospheric river storm systems loom this weekend and into next week.
The National Service warns that with Saturday soils across the state, additional mudslides and landslides will likely continue well into next week. Northern California is under a daily risk of flash flooding through Wednesday, according to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center.