LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Dry weather on Friday and Saturday has helped lessen flooding conditions around Lake County, with Clear Lake’s elevation continuing to drop.
This past week, authorities issued mandatory evacuations in four neighborhoods in the city of Lakeport as well as advisory evacuations in parts of Clearlake, Clearlake Oaks and the Clearlake Keys, and low-lying areas at Big Valley Rancheria, Corinthian Bay and Lands End near Lakeport and Soda Bay near Kelseyville due to the widespread flooding.
Authorities have so far not indicated that they’ve lifted the mandatory and advisory evacuations, as Clear Lake’s elevation is still well into flood stage, which begins at 9 feet Rumsey.
Lake County also remains under a flood warning issued by the National Weather Service.
Clear Lake’s elevation topped out at about 10.6 feet Rumsey on Thursday and Friday, and has since dropped to just over 10.3 feet Rumsey as of early Sunday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Local officials said the lake is expected to continue to recede at the rate of about a tenth of a foot a day if there is no serious inflow.
The Cache Creek Dam, which had its releases reduced briefly on Friday so debris could be cleared from it, was back to high volume releases from the lake of more than 4,700 cubic feet per second on Sunday, the United States Geological Survey said.
The California Nevada River Forecast Center expects that Clear Lake will continue to recede at a fairly steady pace, reaching about 9.7 feet Rumsey by Wednesday, even though a small amount of rain is in the forecast on Sunday and Monday.
The National Weather Service said Lake County has a chance of showers during the day on Sunday as well as winds of up to 13 miles per hour, with rain expected to total less than a tenth of an inch.
On Sunday night, rains showers – and a small amount of show – also is possible, even in the county’s lower elevations, with a slight chance of rain and snow also forecast on Monday morning, and a reduced chance of more showers on Monday night, according to the forecast.
Temperatures on Sunday are forecast to be in the high 40s during the daytime and the high 20s at night. On Monday, daytime temperatures are expected to be closer to 50 degrees, while nighttime temperatures are forecast to drop near the mid 20s.
Then, from Tuesday through Saturday, the National Weather Service said conditions are expected to be sunny and clear, with temperatures topping out around 60 degrees during the day and nighttime lows around 30 degrees.
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Minor storms expected Sunday and Monday; lake elevation steadily dropping
- Elizabeth Larson
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