NorCal Highways Submerged by Rain
A new video documents California's submerged highway where heavy rains and swelling rivers have put stretches of Northern California roads underwater. The altered landscape creates unique opportunities for hikers to witness nature's power firsthand, but also highlights the growing need for climate-resilient infrastructure. Spring hikers should monitor road and trail closures as conditions can change rapidly.
The recent deluge is a product of potent atmospheric rivers, with one event classified as a "Pineapple Express" due to its warm, subtropical origins near Hawaii. These weather patterns are becoming more intense, leading to staggering rainfall totals, with some areas receiving 400 to 600 percent of their average precipitation. This surge of moisture has caused rivers like the Pit River in northeastern California to swell beyond their major flood stage. The economic toll of these increasingly frequent storms is substantial, with a single atmospheric river event in early February costing the state an estimated $11 billion in damages. These figures are part of a larger pattern of climate-related disasters that have cost California and other western states tens of billions of dollars in recent years. The frequency of these billion-dollar events has dramatically increased, with the time between major disasters shrinking from an average of 82 days in the 1980s to just 18 days in more recent years. In response to the escalating threat, California is beginning to invest in long-term infrastructure solutions. Caltrans has projects underway to elevate sections of chronically flooded highways, such as Highway 99 north of Chico and Highway 37, which traverses the low-lying areas of Sonoma and Solano counties. Near Marin City, a plan is in motion to raise a portion of U.S. 101 and State Route 1, potentially constructing a causeway to allow floodwaters to pass underneath the roadway. These infrastructure projects are guided by state-level policy changes aimed at embedding climate resilience into planning. Assembly Bill 2800, for instance, established a Climate-Safe Infrastructure Working Group to integrate climate change projections into the engineering and design of state infrastructure. This forward-looking approach is critical, as much of California's flood control systems were designed over 50 years ago, long before the current risks were a consideration. Beyond government-led initiatives, local communities are also organizing to build resilience from the ground up. The NorCal Resilience Network is fostering the development of "Resilience Hubs" – trusted community centers that can distribute resources and coordinate communication during disasters. In Sonoma County, the "Resilient Cloverdale" initiative emerged after the 2019 Kincade Fire to prepare residents for future climate-related shocks, including flooding.
