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(1 of ) Water trickles down as workers inspect part of the Lake Oroville spillway failure on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017 in Oroville, Calif. The Department of Water Resources said the erosion at Lake Oroville does not pose a threat to the earthen dam or public safety, and the reservoir has plenty of capacity to handle the continuing rain. (Randy Pench/The Sacramento Bee via AP) (2 of ) Water flows through break in the wall of the Oroville Dam spillway, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017, in Oroville, Calif. The torrent chewed up trees and soil alongside the concrete spillway before rejoining the main channel below. Engineers don't know what caused what state Department of Water Resources spokesman Eric See called a "massive" cave-in that is expected to keep growing until it reaches bedrock. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (3 of ) Water flows through break in the wall of the Oroville Dam spillway, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017, in Oroville, Calif. The torrent chewed up trees and soil alongside the concrete spillway before rejoining the main channel below. Engineers don't know what caused what state Department of Water Resources spokesman Eric See called a "massive" cave-in that is expected to keep growing until it reaches bedrock. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (4 of ) Water flows through break in the wall of the Oroville Dam spillway, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017, in Oroville, Calif. Engineers don't know what caused what state Department of Water Resources spokesman Eric See called a "massive" cave-in that is expected to keep growing until it reaches bedrock. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (5 of ) The Pee Wee Golf course is inundated by floodwaters Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Guerneville, Calif. The Russian River rose above its flood stage again on Friday due to excessive rain in the area causing minor flooding. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) (6 of ) Part of the River Bend recreation area are submerged under floodwater Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, near Guerneville, Calif. The Russian River rose above its flood stage again on Friday due to excessive rain in the area causing minor flooding. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) (7 of ) The Pee Wee Golf course is seen under floodwaters Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Guerneville, Calif. The Russian River rose above its flood stage again on Friday due to excessive rain in the area causing minor flooding. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) (8 of ) A man operates a motor boat in a flooded area Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Guerneville, Calif. The Russian River rose above its flood stage again on Friday due to excessive rain in the area causing minor flooding. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) (9 of ) Grape vines at Korbel vineyards are submerged under floodwater Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, near Guerneville, Calif. The Russian River rose above its flood stage again on Friday due to excessive rain in the area causing minor flooding. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) (10 of ) A man takes a photo of a flooded street on Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Guerneville, Calif. The Russian River rose above its flood stage again on Friday due to excessive rain in the area causing minor flooding. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) (11 of ) Residents traverse a flooded street by rowboat, Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Guerneville, Calif. The Russian River rose above its flood stage again on Friday due to excessive rain in the area causing minor flooding. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) (12 of ) Grape vines at Korbel vineyards are flooded Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, near Guerneville, Calif. The Russian River rose above its flood stage again on Friday due to excessive rain in the area causing minor flooding. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) (13 of ) A mudslide reaches a home after a series of storms Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Orinda, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (14 of ) A mudslide damages as home after series of storms Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Orinda, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (15 of ) A contractor flies a drone over a property damaged by a mudslide after series of storms Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Orinda, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (16 of ) A contractor flies a drone over a property damaged by a mudslide after series of storms Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Orinda, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (17 of ) A mudslide covers a hillside after series of storms Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Orinda, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (18 of ) A mudslide damages as home after series of storms Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Orinda, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

JOHN ANTCZAK

ASSOCIATED PRESS | February 10, 2017, 8:17PM

| Updated 10 hours ago.

LOS ANGELES California Gov. Jerry Brown asked President Trump on Friday to declare a major disaster in the state because of damage from a month of storms as more rain hit the south.

Browns letter said a powerful series of January storms brought relentless rain and high winds that caused flooding, mudslides, evacuations, erosion, power outages and at least eight deaths. Northern California was hardest hit.

Brown said the storm system was so severe and widespread that state and local governments need federal assistance to continue dealing with the problems it created.

In a separate action, the governor added Amador, Mono and Riverside to the 49 counties included in an emergency proclamation Brown issued last month.

A so-called atmospheric river weather system continued to pummel the upper two-thirds of the state this week but it weakened as if moved south down the coast on Friday.

The region from Ventura County to the Mexican border generally saw less than a half-inch of rain, although the National Weather Service said rain could continue to fall into Saturday, particularly in the mountains.

Thanks to a wet winter, downtown Los Angeles already has recorded 15.7 inches of rain since the Oct. 1 start of the water year, exceeding its annual rainfall total with the season far from over.

In the north, which reeled this week from fierce downpours, rising water and damaging mudslides, the rain tapered off. But problems persisted.

In Butte County, workers scrambled to rescue millions of baby salmon from a hatchery being buried in mud from the crumbling spillway of the Lake Oroville Dam. The fish were evacuated by tanker trucks.

Damage to the spillway could approach $100 million, officials said.

On Friday, state officials said they may be able to avoid emergency releases from the rain-choked reservoir by further sacrificing the concrete spillway.

Basically its going to be a triage situation. We know were going to have erosion going on but its in the best interest of the lake right now to be able to keep using the spillway to evacuate water, California Department of Water Resources spokesman Eric See.

A vast swatch of Californias northern interior and areas of the Central Valley remained under flood advisories or warnings into Saturday.

In the Sierra Nevada, winter storm warnings were to remain in effect until early Saturday in the greater Lake Tahoe area and Mono County.

Link:
Gov. Brown seeks disaster declaration for California flooding - Santa Rosa Press Democrat