State officials have reported that nine people across California died in the largest storm of the season, a major atmospheric river that left a trail of destruction due to dangerous winds and historic rainfall.
Among the deaths, four were killed by fallen trees in Northern California and two were killed in car crashes in Southern California, authorities said.
The storm initially hit Northern California on Saturday as a bomb cyclone, meaning it intensified quickly, fueling dangerous winds on a system that already had a lot of moisture. Wind gusts along California's northern and central coast exceeded 90 and 100 mph in some areas, as the storm unleashed the start of a deluge of rain.
On Sunday and Monday, the system pummeled Southern California, dumping record-breaking rain, triggering hundreds of mudslides and debris flows and forcing evacuations and water rescues.
The storm, fueled by El Niño, man-made climate change and typical winter weather patterns, caused widespread power outages, road closures and flooding.
Here's what The Times was able to confirm about the nine people who died in the storm, in the order in which they occurred:
February 1 in San Mateo County
A man in San Mateo County died Thursday after his vehicle hydroplaned and crashed into a tree, becoming the first storm-related death, according to Brian Ferguson, spokesman for the governor's Office of Emergency Services. It was not immediately clear whether the heavy rain that fell in the area at the time of the crash was caused by the storm that hit the Northern California coast two days later.
February 3 in Sacramento County
A woman in Sacramento County was killed when a tree fell in her backyard, Ferguson said. The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office did not immediately provide additional details.
February 4 in Sutter, Sacramento and Santa Cruz counties
The next day, three men were killed by falling trees in Northern California.
Chad Ensey, 41, of Carmichael, suffered blunt force trauma and died at a hospital after a tree fell on him in his backyard amid high wind, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office.
In the rural community of Boulder Creek in Santa Cruz County, Robert Brainard III, 45, was killed when a tree fell on his home, officials said.
And in Sutter County, David Gomes, 82, was found dead under a fallen redwood tree in his backyard, authorities said.
February 5 in San Bernardino County
In San Bernardino County, a 69-year-old man died after losing control of his truck in Yucaipa, sending it down an embankment that submerged part of the vehicle, according to the California Highway Patrol. The San Bernardino man was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries. His identity was not immediately available.
Ferguson also confirmed another traffic death in Southern California that day, but details were not immediately clear.
February 5 in San Luis Obispo County
A 90-year-old woman in Los Osos died after the power went out at her home, where she was in hospice care and dependent on oxygen, according to San Luis Obispo County sheriff's spokesman Tony Cipolla.
He called 911 after a power outage and medics came, but he died shortly after, Cipolla said. He did not immediately provide his name.
February 6 in San Diego County
A person was found dead in the Tijuana River, on the border with Mexico, according to Mónica Muñoz, spokesperson for the San Diego Fire Department.
Firefighters were called to Dairy Mart Road shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday after a body was reported floating in the water, Muñoz said. Teams working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection were able to recover the body, but the person was already dead, he said.
The person has not yet been identified.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Times staff writers Noah Goldberg, Priscella Vega, Hannah Fry and Hannah Wiley contributed to this report.
