Falling trees, mudslides block Sonoma County roads

Falling trees and mudslides were blocking a variety of Sonoma County roads early Tuesday, including one across Highway 1 north of Jenner, as another day of rain dawned.

As the rains ramped up Monday night Forestville and Windsor firefighters rescued five teens trapped in a flooding pickup truck. The teens had bypassed blockades and warning signs and headed into a flooded stretch of Starr Road, according to emergency officials.

“Some kids tried to navigate out there in a pickup and didn’t make it,” Windsor fire Battalion Chief Matt Gustafson said Tuesday. The water reached up to the cab and was flooding the interior and the engine compartment.

The teens called for help about 8:50 p.m., getting the two fire agencies as well as Windsor police and the Sonoma County sheriff’s helicopter, which flew in a torrential downpour to help firefighters locate the juveniles, Gustafson said.

There were at least 14 Sonoma County roadways closed Tuesday morning due to flooding, according to a county road website. Three more were closed from mudslides and at least one from a fallen tree.

The Russian River remained over flood stage and a forecast was calling for heavier rain and winds later Tuesday into Tuesday night.

“River Road is still open,” said CHP Officer Steve Fricke. “But all the lower lying roads around it, a lot of them are shut down.”

Major roadways with closures still in places included Highway 121 at Schellville in east Sonoma County. It was closed all Monday and was expected to be closed Tuesday because of the continued rain, Fricke said.

Mark West Station Road Tuesday was closed in three areas due to flooding, at Starr, Slusser and Trenton-Healdsburg roads.

Road crews and firefighters were hustling to clear the downed trees and get roadways opened. Tree problems were reported on Franz Valley Road, Highway 1 at Meyers Grade and a slide was blocking Geysers Road near River Road, according to CHP dispatch reports.

The Highway 1 problem was reported at 6:35 a.m. as a tree blocking both highway lanes. Firefighters reported having the highway cleared by 7:25 a.m.

The National Weather Service on Monday extended flood warnings for the Russian River through Wednesday while calling for 2-to-4 inches of rain over most of Sonoma County Tuesday.

No major crashes were reported in Sonoma County early Tuesday.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com.