While the weather on Saturday offered a break from recent rains, Sonoma County is still having to contend with flooded driveways and roadways, fields, and grounds soaked in water.
After three days of heavy rain in the North Bay, water is coursing through the Russian River. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Russian River at Guerneville crested at 34.68 feet Saturday morning.
Some people even used kayaks to navigate floodwaters in Guerneville.
Near Guerneville, close to Highway 116 and Mays Canyon Road, a car was spotted in a flooded roadway Saturday morning.
"The person called in saying they could see the vehicle was bobbing in the water and they could see a person inside of the vehicle," explained Misti Wood, a spokesperson with Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.
First responders recovered the man who was in that car, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
In Santa Rosa, firefighters also pulled another man's body from Piner Creek Saturday morning. However, police say it's not clear if his death was storm-related. Police are awaiting more details from the Sonoma County coroner's office.
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Sonoma County residents are used to flooding, but several told NBC Bay Area this storm caught them by surprise.
"It's concerning, it's concerning, and it's amazing how much rain we got in so little time," said Bruce Trowbridge of Santa Rosa.
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Trowbridge said that at the ranch where he works in Sebastopol, the pond on the property is already full, which he says usually doesn't happen until April or later on in the season. He said that the ground seems unusually saturated for this time of year.
"So, nothing is getting absorbed, which is kind of strange because it was just dry not more than two weeks ago," he said. "The ground was dry out there, and we were planting redwood trees out there."
"So yeah, I’m concerned about it," Trowbridge reiterated.
Lilia Mora Fethon and her husband, Bill Fethon, stepped outside on Saturday after being cooped up at their home in Forestville for the past few days, avoiding floodwater.
"We went for our daily exercise, and there was a lot of flooding everywhere, so we just did what we could," Mora Fethon explained. "So we had a lot of pictures of a lot of flooding around."
With more rain and a flood advisory still in place for parts of Sonoma County, officials are urging the public to exercise caution and avoid driving through standing water.
