LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County and much of Northern California remains under flood watches and warnings following a weekend of heavy rain, but forecasters are predicting a slight break in the weather ahead of still more bigger storms.

On Sunday, there were large amounts of rain reported across Lake County; rainfall totals for the day looked to be about twice what was reported for Saturday.

For the 24-hour period ending at 3 a.m. Monday, the following rainfall amounts were reported around Lake County, in inches:

– Bear Canyon (near Middletown): 7.37.
– Boggs Mountain: 7.18.
– Cache Creek (near Lower Lake): 3.78.
– Cobb Mountain: 7.49.
– Hidden Valley Lake: 4.44.
– High Glade Lookout (above Upper Lake): 3.14.
– Indian Valley Reservoir: 1.87.
– Jerusalem Grade (Middletown): 5.97.
– Kelseyville: 3.13.
– Mt. Konocti: 3.98.
– Putah Creek (Middletown): 5.12.
– Upper Lake: 2.20.

The National Weather Service said the active weather pattern is forecast to continue on Monday, with rain in lower elevations and snow in the mountains.

While Monday is expected to see less rain, forecasters expect the impact of the heavy weekend rain will continue to swell many rivers and other water bodies. As a result, the flood watch and warning for the region remain in effect through Tuesday.

Lake County's specific forecast calls for rainfall totals of more than an inch plus winds with gusts of more than 20 miles per hour.

On Tuesday, another storm system appears headed to Northern California on Tuesday, bringing with it the potential for more flooding, according to forecasters.

Rainfall totals from Monday through Wednesday for Lake County are forecast to range between 1 to 2 inches across the middle section of the county, to 2 to 3 inches in the south county, and 4 to 6 inches in the northern county, with winds ranging up to 25 miles per hour.

Showers are forecast to continue in Lake County through the weekend, the National Weather Service said.

With lighter rain forecast on Monday, local school districts were planning to be in session, according to district officials.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

COBB, Calif. – Hundreds of Cobb residents remained without power on Sunday afternoon due to an outage first reported earlier in the day.

The outage, first reported at 10:34 a.m., did not have an estimated time of restoration late Sunday afternoon, according to Pacific Gas and Electric Co.

As of 4 p.m. that the outage was impacting 582 customers, PG&E said.

PG&E on Sunday afternoon hadn't given a cause for the outage, but the storms and heavy rain had caused downed trees and lines throughout the county all day.

A number of small, limited power outages – said to only be impacting one customer each – were reported in other areas of the county on Sunday, including Clearlake, the Clear Lake Riviera, Hidden Valley Lake, Kelseyville, Lakeport, Lower Lake and Middletown.

Across the region, PG&E was reporting outages impacting thousands of customers due to the storms.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

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LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Cobb man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol following a two-vehicle crash on Saturday night that resulted in major injuries for the second driver.

Dakota John Thompson, 23, was taken into custody for felony driving under the influence following the wreck, which occurred on Highway 29 at Highway 175-Hopland Grade just before 9:30 p.m. Saturday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP said Thompson was driving his 1993 Toyota Land Cruiser at an unknown speed northbound on Highway 29 approaching the intersection with Highway 175.

Dustin Solmonson, 41, of Middletown, was stopped in a 2012 Mini Cooper at the intersection's red light, waiting to make a lefthand turn onto southbound Highway 29, the CHP said.

For reasons that the CHP said are yet to be determined, Thompson failed to negotiate a righthand turn at the intersection and the front end of his vehicle collided with the driver's side of Solmonson's car.

Solmonson's vehicle blocked the eastbound lanes of the roadway for a short time after the crash, the CHP said.

The CHP said Solmonson suffered major injuries including a lacerated spleen and lacerations to his face. Thompson had complaints of pain.

Solmonson was taken by ambulance to Sutter Lakeside Hospital and then to an out-of-county hospital for treatment of his injuries, the CHP said.

Officers evaluated Thompson at the scene and subsequently arrested him, with the CHP stating that alcohol appeared to be a factor in the crash.

Both drivers were wearing their seat belts at the time of the wreck, according to the CHP.

The crash remains under investigation by Officer Ryan Erickson.

Thompson was booked into the Lake County Jail, with bail set at $30,000. Jail records indicated he later posted bail and was released.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With the rain and storms set to continue, here's an update on the sand and sandbags available throughout the county.

This list, compiled by Lake County News, is being updated as new information is received. If we've missed something, email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or message us on Facebook, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY SANDBAG REPORT

As of 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 8

CLEARLAKE

City of Clearlake Corporation Yard
(Next to Pierce Field airport, access off of Old Highway 53, between storage and Valley Glass)
Sand available, no sand bags.

Four Corners Builders Supply
14975 Olympic Drive
Telephone: 707-994-6277
Open until 4 p.m. Sunday; opens 7:30 a.m. Monday

Mendo Mill, Clearlake
5255 Old Highway 53
Telephone: 707-994-1014
Open until 5 p.m. Sunday; opens 7 a.m. Monday
60 remaining 70-pound bags, $4.99 filled
$0.89 each empty

KELSEYVILLE

Kelseyville Lumber
3555 N. Main St.
Telephone: 707-279-4297
Open until 5 p.m. Sunday; opens 7 a.m. Monday
$1.49 for a full sandbag
They have plenty of bags

LAKEPORT

Mendo Mill, Lakeport
2465 S. Main St.
Telephone: 707-263-8400
Open until 5 p.m. Sunday; opens 7 a.m. Monday
30 remaining empty bags left
$1.69 empty
30 remaining 70 pound bags, $5/bag

MIDDLETOWN

Hardesters
21088 Calistoga St.
Telephone: 707-987-2325
Out of utility sand, has approximately 40 bags of play sand left for $5.49 per 50 pound bag.
Completely out of empty sand bags.

NICE

Lake Builders Supply
3694 E. Highway 20
Telephone: 707-274-6607
Closes at 4 p.m. Sunday; opens at 8 a.m. Monday
50 or 100 pound bags filled with “play sand”
50 pound bag – $6
100 pound bag – $12.49
$0.49 empty sandbag; bags measure 14 by 26 inches

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Sonoma County officials are preparing for more flooding potential along the Russian River this week.

The California Nevada River Forecast Center said the Russian River was to reach flood stage – 32 feet – at 1 a.m. Tuesday. The river is anticipated to remain at flood levels through 6 am on Tuesday.

The second storm forecast to arrive overnight and into Tuesday. The forecast indicates that the Russian River will reach flood stage again at 3 a.m. Wednesday, and crest at 35.7 feet at 6 p.m. The River is expected to recede below flood stage on Thursday at 6 a.m.

The County’s Emergency Operations Center will remain active to provide updated information and emergency services to Sonoma County residents.

The county issued advisory evacuation notices to the low lying areas of Monte Rio and Guerneville on Sunday afternoon. Recent flood modeling predicts that approximately 550 households are impacted when the Russian River reaches 35 feet.

The Guerneville Veterans Hall extended it shelter hours, and will remain open 24 hours a day through Friday morning. Additional shelters will be opened if necessary.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has restored power to more than 15,500 households since Saturday, and is continuing to work to end outages in the storm-impacted areas.

All drivers are encouraged to observe road closures and use detour routes. Road closures and restrictions information for the unincorporated areas can be found at http://roadconditions.sonoma-county.org/ .

As of Monday afternoon, Sonoma County Transportation and Public Works had reopened 24 roads, and continues to monitor and maintain 17 existing closures.

The county of Sonoma will also continue to post new information on shelters, power outages, road closures, safety information, and sandbag locations to its Web site at http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Public-Safety/ and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SonomaCountyCal/ .

LAKEPORT, Calif. –  Lakeport police issued Nixles regarding downed power lines and flooded streets in Lakeport Sunday morning.

In two advisories Lakeport Police have cautioned motorists to avoid the area in the 1000 block of Second Street annex and other streets.

A large pine tree fell with power lines down in the 1000 block of Second Street annex. Lakeport police, Lakeport fire and PG&E wre all reported to be on scene.

According to an earlier Nixle the heavy rainfall has several streets experiencing flooding including the following:

Martin Street between Estep and Polk, Lange Street in front of the School District and Hartley at 16th Street.  

LPD suggests avoiding these areas and not driving through standing water on roadways if possible.

Lakeport Public Works and Police continue to be out checking affected areas and posting traffic control signs where necessary.  

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A number of county roadways continue to be impacted by flooding due to the heavy rains, but some areas are soon due to reopen, according to county officials.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office reported that roads in Hidden Valley Lake that were closed due to flooding on Sunday morning had been reopened early Sunday evening, except for Gold Flat Road, which will remain closed due to continued flooding.

The sheriff's office said Sunday evening that, so far, only a few homes have been damaged and they have no reports of major injuries related to Sunday's weather.

However, they cautioned that the storms are far from over. There is supposed to be a brief respite on Monday, at which time local officials plan to survey the damage and prepare for more storms that are expected to arrive on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The agency thanked community members for their cooperation during Sunday's severe storm event, and asked them to continue to honor traffic control points and not to drive through them.

The sheriff's office also urged people not to try to navigate through standing water, as it may be deeper than you think and flowing water can actually sweep away a vehicle.

Elsewhere in the county, a number of road closures remained in place, according to Lake County Public Works, the California Highway Patrol, and the police departments in Clearlake and Lakeport.

The following is a list of impacted roadways as of 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Updates will be provided as they become available.

CLEARLAKE

36th Avenue: Roadway west of Phillips, between Phillips and Oaks, is closed due to heavy flooding and debris in the roadway.

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE

Gold Flat Road: Closed due to flooding.

KELSEYVILLE

Adobe Creek crossing: Closed due to flooding.

Argonaut Road: Flooding reported in the area of Big Valley Road.

Bell Hill Road: Bell Hill Road is closed at Adobe Creek Low Water Crossing due to water over the roadway.

Bottle Rock at Pine Street: Tree and power lines down and blocking both lanes.

Clark Drive: All of Clark Drive closed due to flooding, use alternative routes.

Gaddy Lane: Flooding across the roadway at Loasa.

Marina View Drive: Downed tree – single lane from Riviera Heights Drive to Soda Bay Road.

LAKEPORT

Highland Springs Road: Flooding across the roadway at Lampson Airport.

Hill Road: Hill Road between Sutter Lakeside Hospital entrance and Lakeshore Boulevard is closed to all traffic due to continuing debris flows. There is no estimate at this time as to when the roadway will be reopened.

Lakeshore Boulevard: Flooding reported across the roadway near Park Way.

Martin Street: Flooded from S. Forbes to Polk St. Use an alternate route and do not drive through the water.

Mathews Road: Mathews Road is closed at Highway 175 due to a bridge replacement project.

McMahon Road: Tree blocking roadway in both directions.

Soda Bay Road: Closed to all traffic from Big Valley Road to Highway 175/S. Main Street due to flooding.

LOWER LAKE

Morgan Valley Road: Single lane due to downed tree into phone lines.

Seigler Canyon Road: Flooding across the roadway above Seigler Bridge. Road is closed from Highway 29 to Big Canyon Road.

Perini Road: Closed at Seigler Canyon Road due to flooding

MIDDLETOWN

Western Mine Road: Closed due to mud/debris slide.

UPPER LAKE

Elk Mountain Road: Roadway closed at MPM 29.6 due to road washout. No estimate of when road will be reopened.

Robinson Road: Two downed trees blocking the roadway.

Scotts Valley Road: Closed from Hendricks Road to Highway 20 due to flooding.

Witter Springs Road: Closed due to flooding.

NAPA COUNTY UPDATE

In addition to the road situation in Lake County, the Napa County Sheriff's Office has issued the following updates on conditions, with all closures to remain in effect through the night, as of 6:30 p.m.:

Berryessa Knoxville Road: Open but impacted in numerous locations by mud and rock slides and trees down from the 1700 block to Eastside Road. The road is open at this time, but please use extreme caution while driving in this area.

Deer Park Road: Closed between Highway 29 and Silverado Trail due to flooding.

Dry Creek Road: Impacted from the 5800 block to Oakville Grade due to water.

Highway 128: North of Calistoga into Sonoma County is closed due to flooding per Caltrans.

Oakville Cross Road: Closed at Plump Jack Winery and the Napa River due to flooding.

Yountville Cross Road: Closed due to flooding.

Constitutional amendments, flying dogs, and witches – the week of Jan. 8 to the 14 was quite a busy one in history.

Jan. 8, 1798

As school children, we were forced to memorize each constitutional amendment as part of our lessons on the founding fathers and the establishment of our country (I challenge each reader to name five of the now 27 amendments!).

Perhaps one of the least interesting – certainly least memorable – amendments was passed on this day in 1798.

The Eleventh Amendment established that excessive fines and bails were a form of cruel and unusual punishment. Yes, so unremarkable is this amendment that you did not realize until now that I just lied: the Eleventh Amendment had nothing at all to do with bail.

No, the Eleventh Amendment instead dealt with a seemingly more esoteric subject. The amendment declared that the federal government has no power to interfere in suits brought against a state by residents of another state.

However unmemorable it is to school kids today, the Eleventh Amendment was extremely important at the time.

For one thing, it was the first amendment added to the Constitution following the establishment of the first 10 as the “Bill of Rights.” That, in and of itself, is significant because up to that point the process of amending the Constitution was only theoretical – kind of like the rules of a board game, and like a board game (at least in my family) rules are sometimes “bent.”

The ratification of the amendment by the requisite number of states and its official addition to the Bill of Rights confirmed the up-to-then theoretical possibility of amending the Constitution. We haven’t looked back since.

The substance of the amendment essentially stated that states have sovereign immunity, meaning that a state cannot be sued by a private citizen without the consent of the state itself. Of course, as with anything legal, this short 43-word amendment now has four different interpretations (two of which are completely contradictory to each other).

Leave it to lawyers to complicate a single sentence.

Jan. 9, 1793

On this day in history George Washington sat among the spectators cluttering the muddy courtyard of Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Prison as a mad Frenchman rose into the air in a balloon.

Mad, at least, is certainly what many of the spectators would have thought Jean Pierre Blanchard, who had advertised in a local newspaper that he would make the aeronautical attempt at 10 a.m. that morning.

Just a few years previous Blanchard had successfully flown across the English Channel in one of his hot air balloons. So by 1793, Blanchard had at least proven himself a lucky madman. Lucky and entrepreneurial. Rather than put on the show for free, Blanchard had charged $5 a ticket to gain admittance into the prison walls and bear witness to what would become the first manned flight in the history of North America.

Blanchard’s flight became not just the first manned flight, but also the first canined one as well when a well-wisher thrust a small black dog into Blanchard’s arms as he entered the basket of the balloon.

With a handshake from President Washington and a wave of his hat, Blanchard dropped ballast from the balloon and quickly rose into the chimney-smoke-filled sky of Philadelphia.

Forty-six minutes later he and his canine stowaway alighted on a plowed field near modern-day Woodbury, N.J. after a journey of about 15 miles. 

Jan. 14, 1699
   
Early modern Europe was struck with an epidemic of witch-phobia that would eventually see tens of thousands of people executed for supposedly practicing the dark arts.

Most of these victims were women, who were thought to have made a deal with the Devil to learn these special powers.

In colonial America, the most famous case of witch hunts took place between 1692 and 1693 in the Massachusetts Bay Colony village of Salem.

Historians have since argued that the Salem Witch Trials were a result of an overly-strained community.

You see, starting in 1689 England declared war with France, a country whose colonial holdings were located in modern-day Nova Scotia, Quebec and parts of upstate New York. King William’s War, as it became known to the colonists, soon made its way to the colonies and ravaged the countryside, sending refugees to such villages as Salem, where they put a strain on the small community’s meager resources.

This strain, mixed with not a little amount of small-town intercommunal conflict, made for the perfect witch’s brew of paranoia.

By the winter of 1698-99, the community had sobered up and came to the realization that they had been overly enthusiastic in their trials.

On Jan. 14, 1699 the entire community of Salem fasted in repentance for their deeds. Too little too late for the 20 families who lost loved ones to the town’s fear and irrational hate.

Antone Pierucci is curator of the Lake County Museums in Lake County, Calif.

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