LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Heavy winds and rain resulted in downed power lines and power outages, damaged docks and impassable roads in areas of Lake County over the weekend, while the rising level of Clear Lake made flooding a possibility.

Firefighters, police and road crews were among the first responders dealing with the fallout from the winter weather.

Some of that fallout included stranded subjects – including an elderly man – caught in the snow on Elk Mountain Road above Upper Lake since Saturday. Radio reports from the scene indicated Lake County Search and Rescue located the man and at least one other person late Sunday night after it appeared the search was being called off for the night.

Meantime, Clear Lake's level was going up, rising to 8.45 feet Rumsey early Monday morning, and pushing closer to the flood stage, which is at 9 feet Rumsey. Lake County Water Resources officials had estimated last week that the heavy rains could take the lake to 8.50 feet Rumsey by Wednesday.

The US Geological Survey's gauges around the county showed streams and creeks running at high levels.

County Road Superintendent Steve Stangland said Sunday evening that the rising lake level made flooding a possibility in the areas of Lakeshore Boulevard in north Lakeport, shoreline areas of Nice including that town's Lakeshore Boulevard, and the Clear Lake Keys subdivision in Clearlake Oaks.

Stangland said his road crews worked through Saturday night and into Sunday morning, responding to flooding, and rock and mud slides.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The high water had caused some flooding on Lakeshore Boulevard in north Lakeport late Saturday night, with road crews removing debris there as well as from the Lakeshore Boulevard area of Nice, and removing a downed tree from Black Oak Drive in Nice, with that roadway reopened later Sunday, Stangland said.

With the ground already saturated, an early Sunday morning water main break on Widgeon Way in Clearlake Oaks resulted in a large landslide that closed the road between Hillside Lane and Laurel Avenue and ran down the hill toward Highway 20, according to nearby resident Chuck Lamb.

Lamb said water was out at his home and that of many other residents in the area.

Stangland said Clearlake Oaks County Water District Crews planned to work through Sunday night to get the water line fixed.

In Clearlake, Sgt. Tim Hobbs said Clearlake Police officers responded on Sunday morning to about five calls of trees down and blocking city streets. He said city Public Works crews responded to clear the downed trees from roadways.

While Hobbs said that, as of Sunday afternoon, they had not received reports of flooding, during a check he made of Lakeshore Drive he saw the water line was within a few feet of many houses and their docks were up at the top or over the top of their pilings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

He said police also received several reports of docks that were floating around near the shore not attached to their pilings, and added that creeks in the city were a few feet from overflowing.

 

In Lakeport, Clear Lake lapped at the edges of Library Park, and the shoreline was littered with debris.

Big wind gusts overnight were blamed for damage done to some area resorts, including the Skylark Motel.

Priya Dias, who along with husband David DeLuca has owned the Skylark since 2005, said their fence was blown down and their metal docks were damaged.

“The wind broke our dock in the middle,” she said Sunday afternoon.

With parts of their docks floating free, two ramps that led out to the docks had fallen into the water, with both of them being totally submerged, Dias said.

She said the ground was totally saturated, with the lake filled “to the brim,” raising her concerns for what might happen if the lake hits flood stage. “It's scary,” she said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Donna Queenen, who lives nearby, reported a 35-foot houseboat came loose from its moorings at the Lakeport Yacht Club and hit her deck, eventually lodging between a stump by her deck and the Regency Inn's retaining wall.

She also reported the docks had come loose at the Anchorage Inn, Regency Inn and Lucky Four Resort.

Downed trees in various parts of the county contributed to fallen power lines, with a report Sunday morning that a falling tree hitting lines caused a pole to snap in Nice.

Pacific Gas & Electric reported several outages around the county that resulted from damaged equipment or other, unspecified causes. Listed in PG&E's outage reports were Hidden Valley Lake, Kelseyville, Cobb, Lakeport and Nice, with no estimated time of restoration available on any of those locations late Sunday.

Downed power lines closed Westridge Drive in Riviera Heights and a slide closed one lane of Siegler Canyon Road south of Perini Drive near Lower Lake, Stangland said.

 

 

 

Elsewhere, flooding caused a closure on Scotts Valley Road at mile post marker 3.50, with a detour available on Hendricks Road. Stangland said Eickoff Road in Lakeport also was closed Sunday due to flooding, and a large slipout has resulted in a one-lane closure on Stubbs Road in Clearlake Oaks.

Stangland said Elk Mountain Road and Bartlett Springs Road were restricted to vehicles with four-by-four capability and chains because of snow.

Other parts of the region also were getting pummeled by the wet winter conditions, with neighboring Glenn County reporting damaged homes, flattened orchards and flooded roads and high streams.

Glenn County Sheriff Larry Jones reported the roof of one woman's trailer was peeled off, while many of the area's almond trees fell over because of the wind – with gusts reported at 60 miles per hour – and saturated ground.

Jones, who deployed more deputies to react to conditions, reported no injuries or evacuations as of Sunday evening.

Glenn County's Office of Emergency Services activated an operations center, with monitoring going on along several stretches of the Sacramento River, predicted to be above flood stage on Monday.

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