Evacuation orders in Felton Grove and Watsonville areas have already been issued. More evacuation warnings are expected to be elevated into orders throughout the day.
The National Weather Service reported that Ben Lomond has gotten over 5 inches of rain in the last 24 hours. And the rain is still falling.
“The band of heaviest rain will move southward towards Santa Cruz and Monterey mid-morning,” the weather service predicted. “Once this band of convection reaches the Big Sur Coast and the Santa Lucia Mountains, chances for very efficient rainfall become high due to the orientation of the warm conveyor belt of moisture.”
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation warning for residents in low-lying areas, including parts of Soquel, Paradise Park and the area around Aptos Creek that could see flooding.
Meanwhile, FEMA sent an email stating, “Disaster Recovery Centers in Watsonville and Santa Cruz proper are closed today due to the weather conditions.”
