A small tornado tore tree limbs and ripped awnings as a powerful band of thunderstorms moved through Northern California during the latest deluge to swell rivers and prompt evacuations over flood fears. While the heaviest downpours have moved through Northern California, and rivers are expected to recede throughout the day, the risk of flooding remains from runoff and showers predicted to continue into Thursday. The Russian River in California rose again under pounding rain, placing some 3,000 Sonoma County residents under an evacuation advisory. The storms were the latest of back-to-back systems that have brought the heaviest rain in a decade to parts of Northern California and Nevada. The storms are part of an "atmospheric river" weather phenomenon that draws precipitation from the Pacific Ocean as far west as Hawaii.

Source: Fox News January 11, 2017 15:26 UTC