Heavy rain causes flooding and road closures in Sacramento
Heavy rain floods Sacramento roads, washes away Fair Oaks resident’s pond bridge
WATER RECEDES AND WE CONTINUE OUR TEAM COVERAGE WITH KCRA 3’S DESMOND CORTEZ LIVE IN FAIR OAKS. SO YOU’VE BEEN TRACKING VALLEY FLOODING ALL DAY. WHAT ARE YOU SEEING OUT THERE TONIGHT? ANDRE, IT’S A LITTLE MORE DRY, BUT WE SAW STEADY SHOWERS THROUGHOUT THE DAY. SO MUCH SO. A FAIR OAKS RESIDENT WOKE UP AND SAW HIS POND BRIDGE FLOATING DOWN FURTHER INTO THEIR POND. AND TO GIVE YOU EVEN MORE OF A PERSPECTIVE, WE’RE STANDING ON THEIR DRIVEWAY. THIS WAS FULLY SUBMERGED AS WELL AS THE SIDE OF THEIR DRIVEWAY HERE. THOSE HEAVY DOWNPOURS AFFECTED A GOOD PORTION OF THE SACRAMENTO REGION, FROM HOMEOWNERS TO DRIVERS, ALL AFFECTED BY THIS HEAVY RAINFALL. YOU CAN’T JUST SWIM. WHAT STARTED AS AN ORDINARY SUNDAY, QUICKLY TURNING INTO ANYTHING BUT STARTING TO RAIN HARDER AGAIN. THERE WAS A LOT OF RAIN IN A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. THE CELL TODAY WASN’T AS BIG OF CELLS AS WE’VE HAD OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF DECADES, BUT THIS ONE WAS ENOUGH THAT IT LIFTED THAT HEAVY PIECE OF WOOD AND FLOATED IT AWAY. NO PROBLEM. VIDEO FOOTAGE SHOWING FAIR OAKS RESIDENT MICHAEL SYLVESTER’S WOODEN BRIDGE LIFTED IT UP AND CARRIED OUT INTO THEIR POND, ALL IN PART DUE TO THE HEAVY RAINFALL. THE CURRENT WAS REALLY GOOD. MOVING FAST, I COULD SEE YOU KNOW IT’S SPINNING, SO IT’S GOT SOME TURBULENT IN THAT WATER, AND I DIDN’T REALLY WANT TO DROWN. SO YOU COULD SEE MICHAEL USING ROPE TO REEL BACK IN THE BRIDGE. MICHAEL, WE’RE NOT EVEN IN THE POND YET, BUT EARLIER TODAY YOU WERE ABOUT WAIST HIGH. AND WE’RE NOT EVEN THE POND, CORRECT? YEAH, I WAS EASILY WAIST HIGH. THE FLOODING DIDN’T JUST HIT FAIR OAKS. SACRAMENTO ROADWAYS SAW LARGE AMOUNTS OF STANDSTILL WATER THROUGHOUT THE AREA. IT’S COMING DOWN HEAVILY AND DON’T FOLLOW SO CLOSELY BECAUSE YOU CAN’T STOP AS QUICK AS YOU NORMALLY COULD. DRIVING JUST THROUGH THE PUDDLES. SPLASHES EVERYWHERE UNTIL THIS WATER IS REMOVED. PEOPLE COMING INTO THIS NEED TO SLOW DOWN, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT’S UNDER THIS WATER. YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT’S CAUSING THE CLOG. THE RAIN CAUSING SEVERAL ROAD CLOSURES WITHIN SACRAMENTO DUE TO FLOODING. THE SACRAMENTO COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES HAS HAD OVER 60 CALLS FOR SERVICE FOR CLOGGED DRAINS, FLOODED STREETS. AND SO WE’RE TELLING PEOPLE AGAIN, YOU KNOW, IF YOU SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS, DON’T DO IT YOURSELF. CALL 311, LET COUNTY CREWS COME OUT AND WE’LL TACKLE IT. SACRAMENTO COUNTY SAYS WHEN RAINSTORMS HAPPEN LIKE THIS, THEY SEND CREWS TO FLOOD PRONE AREAS. BUT JUST THE MAGNITUDE OF HOW MUCH RAIN THERE IS, I CAN’T FATHOM TO THINK THAT THIS WAS FULLY SUBMERGED UNDER WATER. AND THAT POND THERE WAS JUST FLOODED WITH WATER, SO MUCH SO THAT HE WAS NEARLY SWIMMING INSIDE. SO THAT’S JUST THE MAGNITUDE OF THE RAINFALL THAT WE SAW TODAY. LIVE IN FAIR EXTENDED CORTEZ KCRA THREE NEWS. YEAH, IT’S N
Heavy rain causes flooding and road closures in Sacramento
Heavy rain floods Sacramento roads, washes away Fair Oaks resident’s pond bridge
Updated: 10:27 PM PST Jan 4, 2026
Heavy rain in Sacramento on Sunday caused widespread flooding, prompting road closures and washing away a wooden bridge at a Fair Oaks home.Michael Sylvestre, a Fair Oaks resident, said intense rainfall in a short period caused his wooden bridge to lift and drift into a nearby pond.“There was a lot of rain in a very short amount of time,” Sylvestre said.Video recorded by his wife shows Sylvestre standing nearly waist-deep in water near the edge of the pond as the flooding intensified.“I knew that I couldn’t go very much further,” Sylvestre said. “As I’m pulling the rope, I go around this laurel. And the water was so high — areas that weren’t a problem at all before — I just pulled it right across.”Flooding extended beyond Fair Oaks, impacting roadways across Sacramento County. Large areas of standing water caused traffic slowdowns, and drivers were urged to leave extra space between vehicles as stopping distances increased in the heavy rain.“When we see rainstorms like this coming in, the Department of Transportation will go to certain places we know are low-lying areas and prepare,” said Matt Robinson with Sacramento County Department of Water Resources.The Sacramento County Department of Water Resources reported more than 60 service calls related to clogged drains and flooded streets. Officials urged residents to report issues by calling 311 rather than attempting to clear drains themselves.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. —
Heavy rain in Sacramento on Sunday caused widespread flooding, prompting road closures and washing away a wooden bridge at a Fair Oaks home.
Michael Sylvestre, a Fair Oaks resident, said intense rainfall in a short period caused his wooden bridge to lift and drift into a nearby pond.
“There was a lot of rain in a very short amount of time,” Sylvestre said.
Video recorded by his wife shows Sylvestre standing nearly waist-deep in water near the edge of the pond as the flooding intensified.
“I knew that I couldn’t go very much further,” Sylvestre said. “As I’m pulling the rope, I go around this laurel. And the water was so high — areas that weren’t a problem at all before — I just pulled it right across.”
Flooding extended beyond Fair Oaks, impacting roadways across Sacramento County. Large areas of standing water caused traffic slowdowns, and drivers were urged to leave extra space between vehicles as stopping distances increased in the heavy rain.
“When we see rainstorms like this coming in, the Department of Transportation will go to certain places we know are low-lying areas and prepare,” said Matt Robinson with Sacramento County Department of Water Resources.
The Sacramento County Department of Water Resources reported more than 60 service calls related to clogged drains and flooded streets. Officials urged residents to report issues by calling 311 rather than attempting to clear drains themselves.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel