Driver found dead in vehicle ‘bobbing’ in floodwaters, California cops say

A driver died after flooding from a downpour engulfed his vehicle on a road, California sheriff’s officials reported.

Someone reported seeing a flooded vehicle with a person inside near Mays Canyon Road southeast of Guerneville on Saturday, Nov. 23, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.

“Right around 11:30 a.m., a call came in from a person who saw a car bobbing in the water,” Misti Wood of the department told KGO.

The man reportedly drove into the flooded part of the road, Wood told the station.

Deputies and rescuers pulled the driver from the vehicle but he had died, sheriff’s officials said.

“Despite the quick work of first responders, the man was pronounced dead at the scene,” deputies said.

Heavy rain, snow in Northern California

An atmospheric river dumped heavy rain and snow on Northern California on Friday, Nov. 22, The Sacramento Bee reported.

“Atmospheric rivers are relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere – like rivers in the sky – that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

Guerneville is about a 75-mile drive northwest from San Francisco..

This story was originally published November 24, 2024 at 8:53 AM with the headline "Driver found dead in vehicle ‘bobbing’ in floodwaters, California cops say."